Random Troyella Story
by vamp-gal
Summary: Troyella Story. No fixed story line, just days as they go by, what Troyella and their friends do, ideas welcome :D
1. Phone Convosation

Troyella Story

**Troyella Story**

**My very first FanFiction story so go easy on me [Edited]**

**Chapter 1: Phone conversation. **

Troy Bolton is the 'king' of East High. He's the captain of the basketball team, golf pro and intelligent (though he tries to hide it); he has the best mates a guy could ask for and girls waiting on him hand and foot. Everyone thought he had an alright life, and he does. But ever since that New Year's night Troy knew his life wouldn't be like that again. Why? You might ask, because of one simple girl who he knew instantly he wanted to be around. Her name is Gabriella Montez.

Gabriella Montez is a shy girl who is very intelligent and just likes to be herself. Her father is away on business quite a lot, and she get's moved around equally as much because her mums company keep transferring her. She doesn't like moving away from the people she had become close to so when she found out Albuquerque was her last stop on her travels she was truly happy. However, she couldn't help but let her mind wonder back to that blue eyed, brown haired boy she had met on that magical New Years. His name is Troy Bolton.

They both thought they'd never see each other again, but felt compelled to keep in touch whenever they could. They felt as if a part of them had come alive when they were with each other and the feeling was amazing.

"I'm so nervous about tomorrow, everyone's going to see me as the freaky weird girl and I don't want to go through it again" Gabriella rambled to Troy. This was one of the major disadvantages of moving around constantly.

"Hey, don't worry about a thing. I'm sure everything will go great, OK? If people act like that then they are missing out on an amazing person" Troy told her, trying to comfort her.

Gabriella blushed "You've only known me three weeks"

"Indeed I have and I already know that anyone who is friends with you are some of the luckiest people in the world" he told her and smiled when he realized she was lost for words. "So, what school are you going too?" Troy asked, changing the subject for her.

"I don't know, my mum wants it to be a surprise. How bad is that, I won't even be able to look up the school to see what its like" She was beyond nervous.

"Ah come on, how bad can it be?" he asked, rhetorically trying to reassure her.

"Oh, you'd be surprised, but I suppose you could be right"

"Could be? No, no, no I'm right, trust me. Now get some sleep and don't worry about a thing"

Gabriella giggled "OK, OK. Night Troy, thanks"

"Anytime Gabriella, good night"

And their minds were left to wonder about each other, not knowing what the future would hold for Gabriella for her first day of school.

_I know it's really short but they will get longer and hopefully more interesting as they go along, by the way they will be improvised so yeah, hope you enjoyed it. _

_**Hey, once again I'm going to go through and edit some chapters – this was my first ever story so I'm going to be manic about making it as perfect as I can make it :)**_


	2. First Day of School

Troyella

**Chapter 2: First Day of School [Edited]**

Gabriella felt like she had just managed to fall asleep when her alarm clock sprang to life. She was up most of the night thinking about her new school and how different it would be from all her other schools.

Troy felt tired, but who doesn't so early in the morning, knowing that where you're heading is going to make you want to sleep but forbids it anyway, pure torture. He was also worried about Gabriella and how she would get on at school, also basketball season, and the teams they have to beat in order to win the title.

Troy walked into school with the basketball team at his side with some cheerleaders tagging along, Troy, Chad, Jason and Zeke did weren't exactly thrilled however, they live in a democracy, and democracy was against them. Thankfully they didn't have to spend much time with them.

Gabriella however, walked into school with her usual _'__First Day of School Expectations__'_.

1 "People Staring" Gabriella mumbled '_check'_ she thought  
2 "People whispering" '_check'  
_3 "Can't find my locker" '_check'_"  
4 "Troy Bolton staring in shock" '_ch... WHAT!'_

"Troy?" she asked unsure if she was seeing things.

"Gabriella?" he asked, just as bewildered.

Once they realized they were not figments of their imaginations and the shock wore off they both broke into jaw breaking smiles. Neither of them had a clue what to do, they never expected to see the other again, let alone in their own school.

"So, told you your first day wouldn't be as bad as you thought" Troy told her, starting up conversation, noticing his classmates were standing around watching them.

"Yeah I guess you were right, I can't believe you go to school here, and live here and...My head hurts"

"Yeah, I know the feeling" he smiled, Gabriella giggled.

"HELLO!" Chad yelled making everyone in the hallway jump about a foot in the air.

"Hi?" Troy said acting confused as to why he was yelling.

"Don't play dumb with me, man, who is she?"

"OK, Chad, Zeke, Jason this is Gabriella Montez, Gabriella this is Jason Cross, Zeke Baylor and Chad Danforth"

Once the school had gotten back to its usual state Gabriella was quickly becoming the centre of attention.

"Hi, nice to meet you" Gabriella replied happily.

"Hey Gabriella" Chad and Jason replied.

"Hey Gabriella, so how did you and Troy meet?" Zeke asked

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other with looks that read _'what do you want me to say?'_

Suddenly the bell rang, indicating it was time for tutor. The boys looked up at the bell in annoyance, knowing where they were going was their own personal hell.

"Looks like we have to get to class" Troy sighed "Who do you have, Gabriella?"

"Oh I have a woman called Ms. Darbus, though I'm not sure where the classroom is" Gabriella told them.

"We have _her_ as well" Chad told her.

"Yeah, we'll take you there" Troy smiled.

"Thanks" Gabriella said shyly, oblivious to what she was walking into.

The five of them had barely set foot into the classroom before Ms. Darbus practically shrieked at them. "Bolton, Danforth, Baylor, Cross seats now! This is not a good way to start the beginning of term, and who are you?"

"Um, I'm Gabriella Montez" She stuttered, scared of her new teacher.

"Don't worry she scares everyone" Troy whispered to her before taking his seat at the front of the class.

"Montez, sit behind McKessie" Gabriella stood there, unsure of whether Ms. Darbus noticed her mistake. "Well, are you just going to stand there? I told you where your seat was!"

Troy smirked "Your seat is the one next to Jason"

"Thanks" Gabriella smiled, thankfully.

"Right" Ms. Darbus shifted uncomfortably, but made no move to apologise. "Now people we have lots of fasina..." by this point the class had gone into their own little world, even Gabriella's mind was somewhere else.

They had two periods and before they knew it the bell had rung for break. Gabriella hadn't made friends in either class, but it's the first day, she hoped she would make more overtime.

"Hey Gabriella" Troy greeted, from the table he was sitting in the canteen.

"Hey Troy" She smiled, walking over.

"Would you like to sit with us?" Troy asked, indicating to where he and some of his friends were sat.

"I don't want to intrude" Gabriella told him. Troy rolled his eyes and told her to sit.

"Hem Hem" Chad voiced.

"Oh! Hey Chad, Zeke, Jason" Gabriella smiled at the three, slightly embarrassed.

The boys couldn't help but chuckle at her embarrassment, for they knew exactly why she had forgotten about them.

"So Gabriella, what lessons have you had so far?" Troy asked, changing the subject for her.

"First period I had Maths and second was Science." Gabriella told them.

"We had the same, you weren't in there." Jason said "Were you?" he asked suddenly, knowing he wasn't one for being observant.

Gabriella laughed a little "No, I wasn't in the same class. I'm at an advanced level" she told them, waiting for their reaction.

"Wow, that's really good" Troy said, casually.

"Huh?" she was totally confused.

"Well, it is, isn't it? It means you must be really intelligent to be in those classes"

"Well I guess, but you guys don't think of me as some nerdy geek?" Gabriella asked, not sure if she was believed her ears.

The guys smiled, people who came to this school were generally surprised how easily a lot of the cliques got along here.

"We really don't care here, Gabriella. You can be the most intelligent, the sportiest or the most dramatic person in the world. Everyone's different, might as well accept it. What's the point in spending half your school life arguing with people over nothing?" Troy told her.

Gabriella smiled _'I think I'm going to like it here'_ she thought, happily.

Suddenly the bell rang once again all too soon. Gabriella wanted to get to classes of course, she couldn't fall behind, but being with Troy and his friends felt nice.

"So, what lessons have you got now?"

Gabriella looked at her time-table and answered "Gym then History"

"Yeah, I've got the same. Do you think we're in the same classes?"

Gabriella gave him her time-table in response. Troy grinned looking the piece of paper over.

"Does that mean we do or we don't?" Gabriella asked, noticing the look on his face.

Troys grinned widened "It means we do" he told her "Come on, I'll walk with you"

"Thanks" Gabriella smiled.

Gabriella walked into the gym after being the first to get changed. "Wow, this is huge" Gabriella spoke in awe, thinking she was alone.

"Yeah, but once you've been here for a few years, it makes less of an impact" Troy told her.

Gabriella jumped, unaware of his presence "God, you scared me!"

Troy chuckled "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to" he told her, truthfully. "I just didn't think you'd be talking to yourself" he added and smiled as she blushed. "I wouldn't worry, everyone does it"

"Even you?" She questioned.

"Yes even me" he replied, slowly.

"You know they say talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity" she said.

"Well then, I wonder, should I be worried for yours?"

"HEY!"

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Gabriella was about to start chasing him when she heard the teacher yelling.

"OK EVERYONE, BASKETBALL, PAIR UP, BOY - GIRL"

"Do you want to be partners?" Troy asked, noticing a flood of girls eyeing him.

Gabriella nodded "Yeah sure" she smiled.

The girls suddenly weren't eyeing Troy anymore, but glaring at the girl he had suddenly partnered with.

"OK" Troy told her "A chance to introduce you to the rest of my friends"

Troy and Gabriella walked over to where a girl was trying to get the basketball from Chad as he was efficiently blocking her.

"Hey Troy" the girl greeted.

"Hey Captain, Hey Gabriella" Chad greeted with his back turned.

"Hey guys. Taylor I'd like you to meet Gabriella Montez. Gabriella this is Taylor McKessie, Chad's girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you; I sit behind you in tutor, don't I?" Gabriella told her, shaking her hand.

"Yeah, that's me" Taylor smiled "It's nice to meet you too Gabriella" she said, welcoming the break of a losing battle "I assume you'll be bringing her to lunch?" she asked.

"Of course, you will have your chance to interrogate her as you please"

Gabriella looked up at Troy with a very scared look.

Troy smirked as Taylor hit him "He's only teasing" Gabriella visibly relaxed "It's Sharpay you have to watch out for" Gabriella shot a look at Troy looking for confirmation, and got it when he laughed.

They then walked over to another girl and Jason. The girl seemed to be staring intently at the basketball, he was bouncing back and forth, as if trying to guess what he'd do if she went for it.

"Hey Captain, hey Gabriella" Jason greeted glancing up, for a split second before turning his attention back to the girl in front of him.

"Hey Jason, Kelsi this is Gabriella Montez, Gabriella this is Kelsi Neilson, Jason's girlfriend."

"Hey Gabriella" Kelsi said, giving up on basketball for a second.

"Hi Kelsi, it's nice to meet you"

"It's nice to meet you too. Have you met everybody yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, we still have Sharpay to go" Troy told her.

Kelsi laughed a little "Have fun meeting Sharpay, she comes on a little strong" she smiled.

Gabriella was a more little worried now as Troy led them to the final two people, one of which could only be the infamous Sharpay from whom she had no idea what to expect.

"Hey Zeke, hey Sharpay" Troy greeted.

"Hey Captain, hey Gabriella" Zeke greeted.

Sharpay, who was completely uninterested in basketball, turned her attention to the girl in front of her.

"Sharpay" Troy half warned "This is Gabriella Montez, Gabriella this is Sharpay, Zeke's girlfriend" he introduced.

"Gabriella Montez" Sharpay stated, looking her up and down. Gabriella nodded, shakily. "Welcome to East High!" she practically squealed, Gabriella's eyes widened in shock, not expecting the reaction. "Now, I'm sure Troy will be bringing you to lunch so I will spare you the details of everyone and everything at the moment. It'll be great getting to know you"

Gabriella nodded once again "Yeah, thanks" she replied smiling slightly. She felt Troy pulling her away and went with him.

"She comes on a little strong, huh?"

"A little?" Gabriella asked, incredulously. Troy laughed. "You all had me thinking she was going to bite my head off" She mumbled.

This made him laugh harder "Sharpay is probably one of the most loyal people you will meet, but also the fiercest, never get on the wrong side of her"

"And how do I do that?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled "Don't worry, you won't have a problem with Sharpay" he told her. Gabriella smiled softly. "Right, time for basketball" Troy exclaimed.

"What do we do?" she asked shyly

Troy smiled "Here I'll teach you"

Troy and Gabriella were having a lot of fun in Gym that Gabriella was surprised that when it ended she wanted to stay. Usually she hated Physical Education and couldn't wait for it to be over with, it surprised her but it was a nice surprise.

Once they all changed out of their Gym clothes Troy led Gabriella to History.

"I can't believe you made me half decent at basketball, how? I've never been good at sports" Gabriella asked him

"Well, I'm not basketball Captain for nothing" he told her.

Gabriella stared at him in complete shock when he said this. "Wow" she was truly amazed.

"What?" he asked confused, but amused at the same time.

"Well, most - all sports Captains at my old schools were always so cocky, rude and arrogant, you're completely different" she paused for a moment "I guess that's why the guys call you Captain, huh?"

"Yeah" Troy confirmed "And I know about the other schools." He smiled, uncomfortably. "I don't understand other Captains of other teams, they're no better than anyone else in the team or the school, we're all on the same level. I don't have any higher status." Troy paused, thinking of another way to help her understand "Captain isn't just a name, it's a responsibility. People look up to that, whether you want them to or not" he added, making Gabriella giggle "What I'm trying to say is, I'm a teenager, no superiority no nothing. I'm just a regular guy, and pretending I'm something special?" Troy shook his head, unable to find the words to finish.

"Is nothing compared to the relationships you have with your friends, which you wouldn't have if you acted like other Captains"

Troy looked at Gabriella, his eyes shining with happiness. "Exactly" he nodded, in a whisper.

From that moment Gabriella knew she was falling for Troy Bolton, and she was falling hard.

By the time Lunch came they were finished with their work, happy with the progress they had made, and walked out to the canteen to meet the rest of his friends.

"So Gabriella, how's everything going for you?" Sharpay asked as they sat down.

"It's going better than I expected." She said truthfully.

"Well don't worry, between us and Troy, no one would even dare try and do anything" Sharpay smiled.

"Thanks" she said, unsure if she should be worried or not, she wasn't expecting anyone to try and do anything.

"So what do you have after Lunch" Troy asked Gabriella.

"Um, Drama" she replied, trying to memorise her schedule.

"Us too" they all said, freakishly at the same time.

"So, we're all in the same class?" Gabriella asked.

Everyone on the table nodded in confirmation.

After that they all just sat and talked for a while, getting to know Gabriella while she got to know them.

"Hey, you guys didn't answer my question earlier" Zeke remembered

"What question?" They asked, truly forgetting what he asked.

"How did you guys meet?" he asked.

Suddenly the bell rang, once again cutting off an answer to the question.

"So, we're going to go to the theatre! We'll see you there" Troy said, picking up his bag and virtually running out of the canteen with Gabriella.

"HEY!" Sharpay yelled, causing everyone to look at her. "I'm supposed to be the Drama excited freak" she whined, making them laugh.

Once Troy and Gabriella were in the Theatre they finally spoke about what they wanted to do about telling them.

"OK, do you want to tell them how we met? Because it's totally up to you" Troy asked.

"They're your friends, you've known them longer, you decide" Gabriella told him.

"Hey, they're your friends now too you know" he smiled, so did she.

"Well how about we tell them, if you want to, it's not really a big deal, right?" she asked unsure.

He smiled "Yeah, sounds like a plan"

Sharpay, Zeke, Kelsi, Jason, Taylor and Chad came in with the rest of the class.

"Don't think you're going to get away with avoiding the question that easily" Zeke said.

"We're not avoiding anything" Troy replied confidently.

"OK, so, how did you guys meet" they were, for once, about to answer when they heard the voice of their drama teacher.

"People sit and phones off. Now today we will be holding auditions for the music_a_l, you are all going to audition whether you want to or not, got it, good, now, boy - girl pairings please"

"She's our drama teacher?" Gabriella asked, terrified.

They all laughed at Gabriella's reaction, while she was still staring in shock at the now vacated stage.

Troy noticed that, just like in Gym, girls were staring wanting to partner up, and just like in Gym, he beat them to the punch.

"Partners?" he asked Gabriella, bringing her out of her daze.

"Sure" she replied.

"Wow, déjà vu" Chad stated.

"Now class we will be doing one song, for each pair, some of you may know it, some of you may not. It's called _'The Start of Something New'"_ Troy and Gabriella sat there in complete shock; the day was getting stranger as it went on. "Now who's going first" They made sure they weren't picked that would be way too freaky and as Chad said earlier way too déjà vu. This time they managed to go last, only because of Chad.

"Anymore pairings" they decided to stay quiet.

"Troy and Gabriella still need to do theirs" shouted Chad. They gave him a death glare "If I had to so do you" he whispered.

"Come on then you two" she yelled for them to get on stage.

Both of them walked down the aisle towards the stage, once they were ready the all too familiar music started and Troy began to sing.

**Troy****:  
Livin' in my own world,  
Didn't understand.  
That anything can happen,  
When you take a chance.**

Troy winked at Gabriella and started walking away from the stage; she just smiled remembering how it happened that night.

_Gabriella__:  
I never believed in,  
What I couldn't see.  
I never opened my heart, _**Ohh**_  
to all the possibilities._

(_Both__)  
__**I know**__, that something has changed.  
__**Never felt this way**__, & right here tonight  
__**This could be the start of something new**__,  
It feels so right __**to be here with you**__, ohh.  
And now lookin' in your eyes, I feel in my heart, _**I feel in my heart**_  
__**The start of something new**__. _**Ohh yeah.**

By this point they were both getting into the song, just like last time.__

**Troy****:  
Now who would have ever thought that, **_**we'd both be here tonight**_**?  
**_  
__Gabriella__:  
And the world looks so much brighter _**brighter, brighter,**_ with you by my side! _**By my side!**__

(_Both__)  
__**I know that something has changed, never felt this way.**__  
I know if we're __**real, this could be the start of something new  
it feels so right to be here with you, ooh. And now lookin' in your eyes I feel in my heart,  
**__the start of something new._

Troy decided to do the same thing he did that night and lean down with the microphone, making Gabriella smile, as it did last time.__

**Troy****:  
I never knew that it could happen until it happened to me! Ohh yeah  
**

Troy doing this once again made Gabriella more confident in front of their class and decided to join in the re-enactment. However, this time she was more confident and didn't try and pull away when Troy moved forwards during the song.

_(__Both__)  
__**I didn't know it before,**__ but now it's easy to __**see! Ohhhhh**___

(_Both__)  
__**It's the start of something new; It feels so right to be here with you, oohh.  
And now lookin' in your eyes I feel in my heart...  
That it's the start of something new,**__**it feels so right,**_**So right, **_to be here with you, _**oohh**_.  
And now lookin' in your eyes,_** I'm looking in your eyes.**_ I feel in my heart, _**Feel in my heart**_  
the start of something new  
_**The start of something new  
**_**The start of something new**_

Troy and Gabriella smiled at the end of the performance; it had brought back some happy memories for them, even though it only happened three weeks ago. They turned to face a very shocked class of people. They obviously hadn't seen it coming, neither did they when they first sang it.

"Should we leave?" Troy asked.

"Don't tempt me" Gabriella replied, she never did like performing in front of people.

Chad and Sharpay were first to snap out of their trance and stood up and started applauding them, in time the rest of the class did exactly the same thing.

"Bravo Brava, excellent, you two are most definitely going to try out for the next music_a_l"

They both smiled, accepting the compliment and walked back down to their friends.

"Where did that come from?" Chad asked Troy, wide-eyed. "In all the time I've known you I never knew you could do that"

"Trust me, I didn't know either, I found out about three weeks ago when I went to the Ski Lodge for the holidays"

"What happened there?" Sharpay asked.

"Well, I was chosen to do karaoke at this party" Troy explained.

"Wow" Kelsi said.

"Yeah, it was the same song as well" he said, milking this for all it was worth.

"Now you're just screwing with us" Zeke said.

Troy shook his head "I have a witness"

"And who would that be?" Taylor asked.

Troy tilted his head towards Gabriella. They all looked at her bewildered.

"About three weeks ago I met Troy at a Ski Lodge, we were partnered together to sing _'The Start of Something New'_ on karaoke" She told them, confirming all the details.

They were all speechless, and had no clue what to say.

"Seriously?" Sharpay asked

They both nodded.

"Wow" They all exclaimed.

"That's why you were both so shocked to see each other today!" Chad said, the pieces clicking into place.

Again, they both nodded.

"Well now it all makes sense" Jason said, the pieces also clicking.

Troy and Gabriella smiled, they were about to talk more before they heard a stern voice coming from the stage.

"I suggest you all leave the theatre and go home before I lock you in for the night" Ms. Darbus told them.

"I want details later" Sharpay demanded before they all rushed out of there.

Walking outside Troy turned to Gabriella "Do you want a lift home?"

"I'm probably out of your way" she told him as they reached his car.

"Get in" he told her. She smiled and did as he asked. "Well, interesting day wouldn't you agree?" Troy asked, exhausted.

"I know, earlier I felt sick to the stomach coming to a new school meeting new people, making new friends, but now? I'm just so happy, amazed, but happy, and that's because of you" she told him.

"What did I do?" He asked

"You were there for me, you helped me out a lot today, introduced me to new people. It's the best first day I've ever had"

Troy smiled "I'm glad I could make it memorable for you"

"You did" she replied, smiling.

"OK so if you haven't noticed I've been driving round aimlessly here, so what's your address?" He asked

"Oh, 21 Hampden Avenue" she told him, hoping she memorized the address correctly.

"No way!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah way" She replied "Why?"

"I live at 23 Hampden Avenue" he replied.

Gabriella gaped "You're joking?"

"Well, the surprises just keep coming, don't they?" Troy said, astonished.

Gabriella giggled "Keeps life interesting"

"Well I'm not complaining" Troy smiled at her.

Gabriella smiled back "Me either"

Troy parked in the driveway of his house.

"Here, I'll walk you over"

"It's only next door" she said.

"So?"

She smiled. They walked over to her house.

"Thanks for the lift Troy"

"You're welcome Gabriella"

"Do you have MSN or anything?" Gabriella asked

"Yeah I do" he told her, smiling happy she wanted it. He got out a pen and wrote it on her hand along with his home phone number and facebook address.

"Thanks, I'll add you when I get in" she said.

"Great"

"Talk to you later" she said

"Bye" he left kissing her cheek.

They both walked up to their rooms and at the same time thought _'What a day'._

_**[Edited A/N]:**_

_**And once again, I'm editing, it seems no matter how many times I re-read and re-do this story I find mistakes. If you find any in later chapters please let me know and I'll change them immediately. **_

_**And I have to thank every single person for reading this while the mistakes were in there, you're all freaking awesome!**_

_**Hope you like it :)**_


	3. Day Out

Troyella

**Chapter 3: Day Out [Edited]**

Troy was so happy it was the weekend. He may have had three weeks off over Christmas, and only been back to school for a day but now it was the weekend he could spend time with Gabriella with no lessons to interrupt or the confinements of the school to limit them.

They were all heading down to the beach, Troy and Chad had found a spot away from everyone when they were younger, now it's one of their favourite places to go. When Troy woke up he decided he would text Gabriella to tell her what's going on. It completely slipped his mind yesterday, which you can't blame him for happening.

Gabriella woke up to the sound of her phone ringing,groaning at the sound_ 'stupid phone'_ she thought, but when she realized who it was from she shot right up and read the text message more excitedly.

_Hey Gabriella, me and the rest of the group are heading out to the beach, I completely forgot about it until now, would you like to join us? It would be so much more fun if you came. :D Troy_

After she read the message she started typing furiously into her phone. Troy immediately picked up his phone once he heard it, praying she said yes.

_Hey Troy, I'd love to go, don't worry about it, I could hardly think let alone remember anything yesterday, what time should I be there? Gabriella_

He was so happy, but he had other plans as a surprise for her. She already had her phone in her hands when he texted back.

_Well how about first we go and get breakfast, if you haven't eaten already, if you have then a milkshake or something? Then I'll take you to where the others and I usually hang out when we're at the beach. Sound good? Troy_

She had the biggest grin on her face you couldn't even imagine it. Troy was so nervous she would say no, so when she texted back he took a deep breath before opening it.

_Yeah that sounds awesome, no I haven't had breakfast, but anything sounds good. And what time will you be over? Gabriella_

"YES!" Troy yelled.

"Troy, are you alright?" his mum yelled from downstairs hearing the shouting coming from her son's bedroom.

"Yeah mum I'm fine" he yelled back, happily and started texting Gabriella back.

Gabriella however, was getting a little worried, wondering if he had changed his mind, her phone went off and she picked it up and read

_Hmm how about I come round about 9 ish? Troy_

Gabriella squealed with delight.

"Honey, are you OK up there?" her mum asked hearing the screeching coming from her daughters' bedroom.

"Yeah mum I'm fine" Gabriella replied, happily and texted back Troy.

Troy was waiting for her reply, _'what if she doesn't want to go anymore'_ was all he could think, his phone went off, and he read the message.

_Yeah, that's fine with me, see you then. :D Gabriella_

He smiled and texted

_Can't wait :D Troy_

9 am came around a lot quicker than either of them would have liked, Gabriella was worried he would hate her outfit, apparently becoming one of those girls, which surprised her as she didn't normally put much thought into it; he was worried she would not like the places he would be taking her. They didn't think about putting their swimming gear on then and just decided to take it in a bag.

Troy got to her house on time, which he was surprised about even if he did live next door, he had a tendency to be late whenever times were set, though he swore he wouldn't ever be late if something was concerning Gabriella, and so far he thought he was doing pretty good at keeping to that commitment.

When Gabriella heard the doorbell ring she was beyond nervous, her mum answered the door, and was a little surprised to see a boy she didn't know on her doorstep asking for her daughter.

"Well yes, hold on a second" she called her "Gabriella there's a boy named Troy Bolton here for you"

"Coming, coming, coming" she said as she raced down the stairs "Hi"

"Hey, how're you?" he asked.

"I'm good thanks, how're you?"

"I'm great"

"Gabriella what's going on?" her mum asked, puzzled.

"Oh sorry, I'm going to the beach with Troy and some friends from school, is that OK?" she asked her mum with a hopeful look.

"Of course its fine - wait is this the same Troy Bolton that you've been talking about since New Years?" her mum asked, stunned.

"Mum!" she groaned, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh so it is, nice to finally meet you, Troy"

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs Montez"

"Please call me Ava"

Troy nodded "Thanks, I will" he smiled "Oh and just a heads up, I told my mum we have new neighbours and she's making a gift basket as we speak"

Ava chuckled "How thoughtful of her, I can't wait to meet her. You know Gabriella hasn't been able to stop singing that song you sang that night"

"Mum!" she groaned again, slightly more embarrassed.

"Yeah, I know what that feels like, I can't stop replaying it in my head either" he said, smiling, trying to make Gabriella feel more comfortable.

"Well we should probably get going" Gabriella smiled, practically dragging Troy out the door.

"Of course, have fun" Ava told them, amused with her daughters' behaviour.

"Thanks mum, bye"

"Bye Ava"

Ava waited until they had left the driveway before closing the door, smiling. _This could be interesting_ she thought.

"I am so sorry about that, she can talk a lot, and be a bit embarrassing at times" Gabriella rushed out.

Troy laughed "Its fine, I'm sure my mum will jump at the chance when the opportunity presents itself"

Gabriella smiled at him "So where are we going for breakfast"

"It's a surprise" He told her.

"You're one of those guys who likes surprises, aren't you?" Gabriella questioned.

Troy smiled "Guilty as charged"

Gabriella laughed; it was so easy to talk to him.

"We're here" he said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Heaven on Earth" she read "It better be good here" she warned, hoping the title lived up to their expectations.

"Trust me it is" he said confidently.

They walked inside and took private booth type place, where they could have some privacy.

"Hey. Welcome, what can I get you guys?" The waitress asked.

"OK we'll have two English Breakfasts with two chocolate milkshakes" ordered

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's great, thanks"

"OK, I'll be back soon with your order"

"Thanks" they both said.

"So how do you know I like any of that stuff, or aren't a vegetarian?" she asked.

"Well, You were eating a burger for lunch yesterday, you like chocolate because you had hot chocolate on New Years and you like milkshakes because if you had eaten you would've agreed to get some with me" he explained.

"Wow" she was shocked.

"What? Too creepy?" he asked, jokingly but seriously worried she would think that.

"No, it's not that, it's just no one has ever paid that much attention to me before" she replied smiling.

"Well, I guess I'm an observant guy" Troy replied.

"I suppose you are" she smiled.

"Enjoy your food" the waitress came back with their order.

"Thank you"

Gabriella started her breakfast and Troy waited until she had finished the portion of bacon before spoke.

"So, what do you think of it?" he asked.

She smiled "Like Heaven on Earth" she replied.

Troy grinned back and started to eat his food as well.

Once they were done they stayed there talking a little longer before remembering they needed to get to the beach, so they paid the bill and left.

"OK favourite programmes?" Troy asked.

"Supernatural, Charmed and Two and a Half Men" she grinned "What are yours?"

"I like those ones, as well as sports channel of course"

"Of course" she replied, sarcastically.

"Yeah, OK moving on, favourite book?" he asked

"There are too many to choose from. My favourite has to be action, adventure or fantasy though" she told him.

"Not romance?" he asked curiously.

"If I have to read a romance story it has to have another plot line, the problem with romance is they're always too predictable. If it's romance it has to be different and spontaneous" she told him.

"Wow, interesting insight"

Gabriella suddenly shot up in her seat "Oh no, I need to get changed" she said remembering the bag in the boot.

"Don't worry, I do as well. Chad and I found a secluded spot away from everyone else at the beach when we were younger, now we go there all the time, plus we'll be the first ones there so we can get changed"

Gabriella smiled in relief. "So, how do you think they'll react to what we told them yesterday? Sharpay wants details" she told reminded him.

"Sharpay wants a lot of things" he told her. Gabriella giggled at this but pressed Troy to answer. "Sharpay will bombard us with questions, Kelsi will be commenting on how sweet it sounds, Taylor will be saying what a coincidence it is, Zeke will be hurrying the answers of Sharpays questions out of us, Jason will ask us for details for Kelsi to inspire her and Chad will be saying how cool it is because it sounds so Disney"

"You sound pretty sure"

Troy shrugged "You never know, but something along those lines"

"I don't know how much more details Sharpay needs, we told her pretty much everything" Gabriella spoke.

"Everything isn't enough for Sharpay, we just need that, she needs to know the irrelevant stuff like whether it happened during the day or night, how many people were there, what we were wearing etc."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately, yes I am"

They finally arrived the secluded part of the beach and like Troy said they were the first ones there, so they got changed and set everything up.

Troy was in charge of bringing towels, they had all given him their towels beforehand, Chad was in charge of food, Zeke was in charge of making sure Chad didn't eat all the food on the way, Sharpay was in charge of making everything entertaining, Kelsi was in charge of music and made them sing sometimes, Taylor was in charge of getting tables and everything for food and drink, and Jason, well Jason was in charge of getting himself there.

By the time they were done the rest of the group had arrived.

"Wow Troy Bolton early, I never thought I'd live to see it" Sharpay teased.

"I don't think any of us did" Chad laughed

"Ha-ha guys" Troy replied with sarcasm.

"Anyway, we have some things to discuss" Taylor reminded them all.

"Oh yes, everyone in a circle on the towels now!" Sharpay ordered. They all obeyed, but took their time not wanting her to know how truly intimidated they were. "Now Troy, Gabriella, I have questions for you

1 When _exactly_ did you meet?  
2 Did you know Gabriella was coming to the school?  
3 How long had you known each other before school started?  
4 How did you get such good vocals?"

They stayed silent thinking of the answers for about five seconds when, as Troy predicted, Zeke spoke.

"Come on we're waiting" Zeke said

"OK, we met on New Year's Eve" Gabriella said.

"We got chosen to sing on karaoke, as we told you yesterday" Troy said "I had no clue that Gabriella was coming to our school, but I knew she was starting _a_ new school." he continued.

"We had only known each other for a few minutes but exchanged phone numbers" Gabriella said.

"And as for the vocals, I've always been able to sing, I suppose, I just never had the opportunity to show people, or myself for that matter." Troy told them.

"Wow that is such a coincidence "Taylor said shocked" You met somewhere on holiday then Gabriella moves here, comes to the same school and is put in the same tutor group"

"And moved in next door" Troy told them.

"It's like Disney!" he said, like a revelation, with this newfound information.

"It's so romantic" Kelsi went into her own world.

"I'm going to need something about this, she'll want to write a play with songs and everything" Jason said.

Gabriella was surprised "Just like you said" she whispered to Troy.

"I know them too well" Troy replied, she giggled.

"OK now let's have some fun" Sharpay yelled excitedly.

They had an awesome day, games, gossip, grub. Gabriella had an amazing time. This was a day none of them would forget, or trade for anything.

Troy drove Gabriella back and they talked about the day, they were, again, pretty exhausted and went straight to bed as soon as they got in, thinking of each other.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_**Once again, I've edited some pieces so it makes a little more sense and making the spelling correct, again if you see any errors please let me know, I'm trying to make this (incomplete) story perfect when it comes to that.**_

_Hope you like it :) _


	4. Sick Day

Troyella

**Chapter 4: Sick Day [Edited]**

After having such a great day yesterday, Gabriella wasn't having such a good day today, she felt rotten. She didn't have a clue what was wrong with her, she didn't want to move, but when her mum left for work she told her she was up, she knew she would have to get up at some point, whenever she was ill she would try to hide it from her mum, the reason being she always got so over-protective of her and Gabriella knew that she had an important meeting today.

Troy wasn't having such a great day either, he was feeling fine, but had a feeling that something was wrong, he had no clue what it was, but just ignored it and started thinking up excuses to call Gabriella, he couldn't think of anything though, after a while he just decided to call and see how things played out. _'Why wouldn't I, it's what you do with any conversation'_ he didn't know why he was like this, if something he was doing concerned Gabriella, everything was planned out, so nothing could go wrong.

"_Hello?_" Gabriella said as she picked up her phone.

"_Hey Gabriella, what's wrong_?" he asked not hearing her usually cheerful voice.

"_Oh hey Troy, what makes you think there's anything wrong?_" she didn't want him to be worried about her.

"_Please, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to notice that your voice isn't its normal, cheery self_" she giggled "_What's wrong?_" he asked more seriously but softly at the same time.

She sighed "_I'm ill_" she put simply.

"_Are you OK? What have you got? It wasn't anything from yesterday was it?_" he asked worried that it may have been his fault; he did invite her after all.

"_No!_" she said quickly, and herd a sigh of relief coming from his end, she smiled "_I'm just feeling pretty rotten, that's all_" trying to make it sound like it's nothing.

"_Yuha_, _I'll be over in five minutes_" he said.

"_No Troy serious..._damn he hung up" _'what am I going to do, I don't want him to see me like this, but if I get dressed up he'll think I lied, why do I even care. Oh, Gabriella you know why you care, it's obvious, but what do I do? Great, now I'm arguing with myself, that can't be normal"_

_DING DONG_

_'He's here, what do I do? Open the door you moron, oh right yeah, shush you stupid brain'_ "Hey" she said as she opened the door, ignoring the internal raging war.

"Hey, can I come in?" he asked.

"You'll probably catch what I have, and that would be bad, I don't want you to get ill because of me" she rambled, looking at the floor.

He laughed and walked in while she was still rambling not noticing he was in her house.

"So what do you want for breakfast?" he asked, laughing as she looked from her door to Troy.

"You really don't have to do this, I can make myself something" she started rambling about how she was a big girl and was capable of making her breakfast even though she was ill.

He rolled his eyes and walked over to her, picked her up and put her over his shoulder, carrying her upstairs.

She gasped "Hey! Troy put me down" she whined, struggling to get out of his grasp.

"Not a chance, Montez, you're going back to bed" he emphasised this by dropping her on the unmade bed. "To get some rest, I'm calling Zeke over to help me make breakfast, he'll bring Sharpay so you too can hang out and then we'll call the rest over for lunch, nothing you can say will make me change my mind, got it, good" he said while tucking her in.

"But they'll get sick" she protested.

"Trust me, we won't" he said and left before she could say anything else.

Troy got out his phone and phoned Zeke.

"Hey man, could you come to Gabriella's and help me make breakfast for her, I suck at baking,  
and bring Sharpay, Gabriella isn't feeling well and they could hang out, then after we've all had breakfast hang out for a bit then call the rest of the gang round for lunch, please say yes" he pleaded.

Zeke laughed, wondering whether his friend had even taken a breath through that "Whoa man, sure we'll come over, where does she live?" he asked.

"Next door to me, the left side" he said, knowing none of his friends paid any attention to door numbers.

"Alright, I'll stop of at the shop and get the ingredients for what we need so we don't have to go snooping round her cupboards"

"Great, thanks man"

"No problem, but dude - you might want to ask Gabriella out before others try" with that he hung up.

Troy wasn't going to wear himself out pretending not to know what he was talking about, he knew very well he liked Gabriella, it was so obvious you had to be blind not to see it, now the question is, does Gabriella like him, and would she like to become his girlfriend, something Troy feared would not turn out to his liking.

"Maybe I should just let fate take its course" he thought for a second "Screw it, after the musical I'm going to ask Gabriella Montez to be my girlfriend" he smiled.

What he didn't know was that Gabriella had come down for a drink and heard every word, she ran up the stairs as quietly as possible got into her room and was shocked, once she got over her shock she was smiling so much. She didn't think she could be so happy.

All of a sudden Troys bad feeling was gone, he was confused but happy at the same time, he decided to go check on Gabriella and stay with her until Zeke and Sharpay got there.

When he got to her room, she was smiling so much he didn't know what was going on, she was dancing around her room like a toddler he couldn't help but laugh. When she heard him she turned straight to his direction.

"I thought you were ill" he said amused.

"I am, but now I'm just so happy" she said.

"Why?" he asked curious.

_'I can't tell him I know, what will he think, but he has to know that I know at some point right, let's get this over with'_

"OK, don't be mad" she said.

"Why would I be mad?" he asked, inching closer.

"OK" she breathed "I was going to get a drink of water when I heard you talking to yourself about how you were going to ask me out after the musical and I just was so happy please, please don't be mad" she said it really fast but Troy still understood.

He was shocked _'Wait so this means she likes me right? Ask her!'_

"So if I asked you, you would say yes?" he asked nervously.

She smiled a bit "Ask and you'll find out" she said hopefully.

_'She's evil'_ "OK, Gabriella Montez, will you be my girlfriend" it came out a lot calmer than he expected, but he was glad.

"YES! YES! YES!" she jumped on the bed and ran up to him and hugged him so tight it would have been called suffocation in any other situation, but he really didn't care.

_DING DONG_

"That's Zeke and Sharpay, shall we tell them, or when everyone else gets here?" Troy asked.

"Everyone else gets here" she could barely contain her happiness.

"Alright" he said with a grin matching hers exactly. He was about to go downstairs when she spoke.

"Hey Troy?" she called

"Yeah?" he asked

"What made you ask me out? And why after the musical?" she asked

"Well I've liked you for a while now, though we've only known each other a month, and Zeke said if I didn't another guy probably would, but after the musical, so we could get to know each other more and so you could say yes or no more easily" he said, he had thought about it when his mind drifted in class.

Her smile widened "Just so you know, if anyone else had asked me out, I would have said no, and the answer to your question would have always been yes" she said, her mind had also drifted.

_DING DONG_

"Ah forgot about them, Sharpay will be up in a minute, now wipe that grin off your face" he laughed.

She blushed "Sorry" she said shyly but still smiling.

"Don't be" he said softly and went to get the door, he got a natural look on his face before answering the door, luckily for him he was a pretty good actor when he wanted to be, no one could tell when he was being serious or playing around, it came in handy at times like this.

"Hey man" Troy greeted opening the door smiling, but in a friends sort of way, not a _'the girl of my dreams is my girlfriend'_ kind of way.

"Finally what took so long" he asked.

"Sorry, we were listening to Gabriella's iPod and didn't hear the bell go"

Gabriella was listening to his excuse so she could be ready for Sharpay if she asked questions.

"I see, so where's Gabriella?" Sharpay asked.

"She's upstairs, she's feeling a bit better but please keep calm" he said, suppressing a smile as he thought of her dancing around her room.

"Cool, what's for breakfast?" she asked.

"Ask Chef Baylor" he said and walked into the kitchen.

"It's a surprise" he said happily.

"It better be good" she warned.

"It always is"

"So dude, what do you want to make" Troy asked Zeke as his friend walked into the kitchen.

"Well I was thinking just make a breakfast buffet with a small amount of everything so if someone doesn't like something, we there will be other stuff as well"

"Good idea" Troy was happy with this.

An hour later they were done; they got trays and plates and went up to Gabriella's room.

"Hey girls" Zeke said opening the door for Troy who was carrying a tray full of plates, cups, knives and forks, a tray full of drinks and two trays full of food.

"Hey, why is Troy carrying everything?" Gabriella asked, noticing her new boyfriend had two trays in his hands and two in his arms.

"Because he can hold more things than me and I had to hold the door open for him" Zeke said trying to convince everyone.

"In other words, he'll drop it all" Troy translated.

"Oh OK" the girls said.

"Wait you believe him and not me?"

"Well, as an actress I can tell if someone is lying or not telling me something" Sharpay explained. Troy and Gabriella restrained themselves "I don't know what her excuse is" this caused them all to turn to her.

"Troy isn't a klutz" she said confidently.

"Hey!" Zeke said after realizing what she said.

They all laughed.

"So where should I put this" Troy asked.

"Just put it on the bed" Gabriella told him

"Alright and Zeke move your foot" he said without looking down.

"What? Excuse me!" he said offended.

"You heard me" Troy shot back confidently.

"Fine" Zeke gave up.

"Thank you" he said and set the food down on the bed.

"How'd you know, you didn't even look down?" Zeke mumbled to himself, not really expecting a response.

Another hour passed and they had finished their breakfast, they hung out for a while, watched a film, played some games. After they called the rest of the group and invited them over.

_DING DONG_

"I'll get it" Zeke offered and left for downstairs.

"So, you feel any better Gabriella?" Troy asked.

"Yeah much, few stomach pains here and there but fine really" she smiled.

"Great, thanks for coming Sharpay" Troy said casually.

"Oh no problem" she said as if it was no big deal, which it really wasn't, unless you were Gabriella and didn't want anyone else to get sick.

"We come baring food" Chad said, eager to get started.

"Alright put it on the bed" and in came, a large cheese pizza, and diet coke.

"Wow that's a lot" Gabriella said surprised

"Not really, but now no one will fight over the slices of pizza that are left.

"Glad I can be of service" she said, playfully.

"I know I know, let's play truth or dare" Sharpay suggested, once they'd all finished.

Everyone groaned but agreed nonetheless.

"Sharpay, your idea, you start" Troy said.

"OK Taylor, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare" Taylor replied confidently.

"Hmm, OK, go across to the park, and dance to a whole song" she said.

"No way!" she hates dancing.

"You picked dare now move it, sister"

"You are _so_ going to pay"

She started dancing in the park when music came on, but unfortunately she was a little uncoordinated so when she was dancing, a lot of it ended up on the floor.

"Ow, ow, _ouch_" she groaned in pain as she walked back into the bedroom. They all restrained their laughter, some better than others. "I hope you're happy" she glared at Sharpay

"Very much so, this video will be saved forever" She grinned "Now your turn and remember no picking me" she warned.

"OK, Chad Truth or Dare?" She asked.

"Dare" believing he could take anything she threw at him.

"Cut off a lock of your hair" she smirked everyone gaped; he loved his hair more than life itself.

"No, not my baby" he whined.

"Yep, now here" he handed her boyfriend the nearest pair of scissors.

"I am so sorry the mean lady is making me do this, you were a good lock of hair, the best around, and I'm so sorry I am sending you to your death" he gulped and

_SNIP_

"I'll bury you when we get back home OK"

"OK" Gabriella said slowly, "Your turn" she directed to Chad.

He nodded his head sadly keeping his hair in his hands so he wouldn't lose it.

"Gabriella Truth or Dare?" he asked, there was no way she was going to chop off any of her hair.

"Truth" she said immediately, they all laughed at the terrified look on her face.

"Hmm, have you ever had a boyfriend?" he asked.

"Well, actually I have one" they looked at Troy sadly; it took all that was in him not to give anything away.

"How do you know he's good enough for you?"

"How long have you been dating?"

"Who is it?" were all the questions coming out of their mouths.

"He's most definitely good enough for me, we've been dating for a few hours now and he's sitting right next to me" It took a second for them all to realize what they were on about but Sharpay was first, she squealed.

Chad jumped up and the lock of hair went flying out of his hand "DUDE THAT'S AWESOME!"

Everyone was so happy with the news that they completely forgot about the game.

A few hours later it was only Troy and Gabriella left.

"Thanks Troy"

"For what?" he asked.

"I didn't know being sick, could be so...fun" She said

He laughed "Anytime, now get some sleep, we have a whole week of school tomorrow and considering the past few days, I'm fairly confident in saying, anything could happen"

She laughed agreeing with this statement.

"Night Troy"

"Goodnight Gabriella."

She knew he was right, since she moved here, everything had gone crazy and she loved every minute of it.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_**Another chapter done, I really hope everything is fixed after this. **_

_Hope you like it!_


	5. Kelsi's Musical Idea

Troyella

**Chapter 5: Kelsi's Musical Idea [Edited]**

Gabriella couldn't wait to get to school today; she loved seeing all of her friends and her new boyfriend. She was so happy words couldn't describe, she wanted to know what surprises awaited her today.

Troy was feeling the same way, the only difference was that it was weird looking forward to school, but he knew things would be different, and that's what he was looking forward to most, well second most, he was mostly looking forward to seeing Gabriella, he had a plan, sure it had only been one day, but that didn't matter to him, he wanted Gabriella to know how special she is to him and hopefully his plans will go accordingly.

When Gabriella was all set and ready to go she heard her phone ringing.

_"Hello?"_ she answered.

_"Hey Gabriella, do you want a lift to school today"_

_"Yeah I'd love one, how long you going to be?"_ she asked.

_"Hmm well, if you go outside, you'll have a good guess"_ he said.

"_OK then, see you, in a few I think_" she was really confused as to what Troy was talking about honestly, how she was supposed to know just from looking outside was beyond her.

She walked downstairs, expecting her mum to be at work, and went outside.

"How long does it take you to walk down a few stairs?" Troy asked sitting in his car, looking as though he'd been there for a while.

"Oh my God, sorry, I had no clue you were out here" she said walking up to the car.

Troy smiled "It's fine, don't worry about it"

"Thanks" she smiled back

They were like that for a few minutes when Troy spoke.

"Gabriella, are you going to get in the car or fly alongside it?" he asked.

She laughed "Yeah sorry"

Troy laughed with her "You know you don't have to apologise, right?"

"I know but it's a habit, at my old schools if I did the tiniest thing wrong, I was pinned up against the lockers and forced to apologise" she said sadly.

"Seriously?" she nodded "OK, which school was this? And where do I find it?"

"Troy it's no big deal, really, that's my past and here, is my present and future, and I wouldn't have it any other way" she smiled

"You're amazing you know that"

"I know" she said imitating Sharpay.

They both burst into laughter.

"You know that's pretty good, ever considered becoming an actress?"

"No, but what about you yesterday, how did you manage to keep a straight face? I barley did"

Troy laughed "Well I learnt what makes our friends suspicious and act the opposite, simple really, but sustaining it was hard, but it was worth it"

"I agree, and when Chad couldn't find his hair, I wish I could have gotten that on tape"

"Yeah, at least Sharpay got pictures" Troy smirked "You should have seen him when he lost his first basketball, he never lets his new one, which I got him, out of his sight, if it's not in his hands it's in his locker, if it's not in his locker it's in his bag, if it's not in his bag then it's on a shelf in his room in a wooden crate, with a small circle in the middle so he can say goodnight to it"

"Has he always been this crazy?" she asked.

"I think it's the hair" Troy told her.

When they walked through the doors of East High all eyes were on them, they didn't know what was going on, they had only been dating for a day surely it couldn't have gotten around that quick, even if Sharpay did have something to do with it.

"OK, what's going on?" Troy asked, in a loud voice.

Everyone scattered back to what they were doing.

"What the hell was that?" Gabriella asked Troy

"I think they know"

"But we've only been dating for a day" Gabriella reminded him.

"Yeah, but we do have a school full of gossips"

"Oh, I see"

"Come on, let's get to tutor"

She agreed, after they got their books from their lockers, they made their way to Ms. Darbus' room.

"Hey guys" Troy and Gabriella greeted the rest of the gang who were already in there.

"Hey, listen, could you meet us during break, I want to go over the story line of the musical before giving it to Ms. Darbus'" Kelsi asked everyone.

"Sure, no problem"

Suddenly the bell rang, indicating it was time to officially start school.

"Everyone take your seats" Ms. Darbus called.

"Put your phone on silent" he told Gabriella, she was going to anyway, but wondered why Troy would want her too. She sat down and put her phone on silent, like Troy told her too.

While Ms. Darbus was talking she felt something vibrate in her pocket, she got out her phone as sneakily as possible so Ms. Darbus wouldn't see. She saw the message was from Troy.

_'What in the world is he playing at'_ she thought.

She opened the message and read:

_Twenty-four hours have gone by_

_And nothing has changed in my eyes_

_You're as beautiful as you were yesterday_

_When I asked you to be_

_My one and only girlfriend_

_The only one for me_

Gabriella smiled softly, those were the sweetest things a guy could have possibly said to her, maybe even anyone has ever said to her.

"Miss Montez do I see your phone out in my classroom"

Her eyes went wide; she didn't realize that it was that noticeable.

"I'll just put it away now" she said trying to get the message off the screen.

"Oh no, let's see who you've been communicating with shall we"

"Oh that's not really necessary right?" but Ms. Darbus had already taken her phone.

"Mr Bolton, I see sent this message, would you like me to read it out?"

"Would it help me at all if I said no?" he asked knowing what the answer would be.

Gabriella giggled quietly.

"No, now let's see here" she was about to read it out when she stopped and read it in her head first. "Well Bolton, I must say I'm surprised, I'll let you off, just this once, got it?"

"Got it" he replied truly gobsmacked.

When the bell rang Troy and Gabriella shot up out of their seats and headed for Gym.

This time they were the last two out because they wanted to avoid every ones questions.

"Troy, where have you been?"

"Sorry dad – Coach"

"Your dad's the coach?" Gabriella whispered.

"You didn't know that?"

"I never read the name" she shrugged innocently.

"So Troy, I heard that you and Gabriella had a close call with Darbus, what that text said, must have been something good"

Gabriella smiled at the thought of what he wrote which gave everyone, who knew, an idea what it must have sounded like.

"Hey Troy, could I use your phone a sec, I have no credit and Coach just said we have an hour practice after school" Zeke asked

"Coach, seriously" he said getting out his phone, not noticing Gabriella's eyes widening in surprise before she palmed her face, Troy was way too trusting.

"Yes, we're up against good teams this year and we're going to need the extra practice" he told him.

"Can we make that can two hours after we planned to?" he whispered to Gabriella, Gabriella just nodded knowing exactly what was going on.

"Aw" they heard the girls gush suddenly.

"Dude, not cool, how are we supposed to top that" and

"Well son, you're just full of surprises" Jack Bolton smirked.

Troy's face was priceless when he figured out what they did "You went through my sent messages?" he asked completely shocked.

"Sorry, dude, we were curious" they said handing his phone back to him "But seriously, where did you learn how to write like that, you have got to teach us." all three boys agreed

"I can't wait until dinner now, it certainly will be more interesting, oh and we're having the Montez family round as well." his dad said amused at his at the two teenagers' faces as neither of them had been told.

Finally the bell rang for break and they all went to meet Kelsi as they said they would.

"OK Kelsi, we're all here, let's hear it" Troy said eager to hear what her idea was.

"Well, I was thinking of calling it _High School Musical_, and basing the story on Troy and Gabriella, but only with similar lives, not exactly the same, and there will obviously be songs and dances, but if it's bases on them and us maybe we could be the characters of ourselves, and Sharpay could have a boy twin and you'll have to be be mean, no offence but we need someone like that in the play and you love acting, so what do you say?" Kelsi told them, fast paced.

"It's an awesome idea, but we don't want to screw it up" Taylor said.

"Please" she begged, noticing the hesitant looks the idea was getting.

"Alright, I'm in" Troy was first, then Gabriella, then Jason, then Zeke, then Sharpay, then Chad and then Taylor.

"Thank you guys so much, I have the script, hopefully Ms. Darbus will like it, I'm giving it to her after school"

"We'll come with you if you want" Troy offered.

"No, don't worry, I think I can handle it" she smiled, grateful for the offer.

"Seriously, we will" Gabriella urged, Ms. Darbus was scary for one person to face alone.

"Well only if you want" Kelsi said shyly, she didn't want them to have to wait an hour to get home.

"Of course we will" Sharpay said as if she was insane for thinking we didn't, "Oh by the way, I do have a twin brother, he'll be starting next week."

"You have a twin brother, you've never mentioned him" Chad said.

"I have too" Sharpay defended. The others looked at her with a look that said they'd remember if she mentioned a twin brother. Sharpay sighed "Fine, he doesn't live at home, he will be when he starts going to school here, or somewhere else, but he's been at a drama camp, whereas I wanted to come here" she explained to them. "Don't tell him I never mentioned you, he'll be really offended"

Everyone agreed they wouldn't tell but told her they want more details later.

After break the bell rang to start lessons again. Nothing majorly exciting happened in either third or fourth period, making the group agitated, wanting a break. Finally the bell rang and Troy shot out of his classroom, he couldn't stay in there much longer, he went to Gabriella's classroom and got there just as she walked out.

"Hey" Troy greeted.

"Hey" Gabriella smiled back.

"Follow me" Troy told her, grabbing her had so she had no choice but to.

He was leading her to a door he opened it and let her through, making sure no one was watching. Once through the door he led her up the stairs to his own private hide-away.

"Wow, this is amazing, how did you find it?" she asked, in awe of the place.

"Just running away from cheerleaders one day and came across it, they didn't find me, so now I just come up here to think sometimes"

She smiled "That poem you wrote was really beautiful Troy, you're basketball captain, you can sing, you can write poetry, you're a good friend, and don't look confused, I saw the way you jumped in saying you'd do the play, just as she was about to give up on it, is there anything you can't do?" she asked

"You make it sound like I'm perfect"

"You make it easy to think that" she smiled.

"No, I'm not perfect, but enough about me, what about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"Well, you're kind, loving, beautiful, your loyal, you help anyone who needs it, you're forgiving, you never let anyone down, you're smart, funny, happy, fun to be around, need I go on?" he smiled.

Gabriella was nearly in tears, this is the second time he made her feel like this, and she knew that she was falling in love with him, no she has fallen in love with him, and there was no way that would change anytime soon.

"Tomorrow night, now that your family is coming over tonight, mine are going out, come over and we'll go on that date I promised, is that OK?" he asked gently.

She smiled through her tears "That would be wonderful"

Suddenly the bell rang, interrupting the moment.

"Come on, I have Science" Gabriella said.

"Same here, but you're probably in a different class so I'll see you in tutor, then I'll drive you home sound good?" he asked.

"Yeah" she whispered. When Gabriella was walking to her lesson, Coach Bolton saw tears in her eyes, though she was smiling, he decided to talk to her about it at dinner with them tonight.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. They went with Kelsi to put the High School Musical idea forward to Ms. Darbus. Needless to say she was shocked that the basketball team and the decathlon team were on board with it, but agreed the idea could turn into reality if done properly.

Finally it was dinner, Troy wasn't sure what to expect and neither did Gabriella. They both knew Coach Bolton had something up his sleeve, which made them nervous but she was there nevertheless with her mother on his doorstep.

"They're here" Mrs Bolton called from the kitchen; Troy could already see a grin appearing on his father's face, which was a sign of bad things to come, for Troy.

"Where's Tami?" Troy asked, referring to his younger sister.

"She's at a friend's house for dinner" his mum told him, before answering the door.

They sat down and ate over small talk when his Dad brought up the subject he'd been dreading.

"So, we had an interesting time in Gym today, didn't we guys?" he directed the question at Gabriella and Troy

"Oh yeah, amazing" he responded with evident sarcasm in his voice. Gabriella giggled.

"What happened?" Mrs Bolton, Lucille asked.

"Well, apparently Troy sent a text to Gabriella in tutor and what was said in it, got him out of trouble"

"You got out of trouble, did you have a substitute?" she asked.

"No" Troy stated plainly.

"So what did it say?" She asked.

"Nothing" he said.

She turned to her husband "Well?"

"Here I copied it down" he said

Gabriella and Troys eyes went wide. Lucille read what her son had written and smiled happily at the note.

"Aw, this is so sweet, here read it" she handed the paper to Ava.

"Well Gabriella I have to say Troy seems like a lovely young man" her mum said.

"Gabriella may I ask you, why you were crying when you were walking to your lesson after lunch, you looked happy, but, well..." Coach Bolton, Jack asked her.

"Oh, well I was with Troy before lunch, and yes they were happy tears" she put simply.

"Well what did he say?" her mum asked.

Troy knew she was going to cave "OK while she tells you, I'm going to get a drink, does anyone want anything?" he asked, politely. Everyone shook their heads 'No'

He came back a few minutes later, his dad looked shocked, his mum and Gabriella's mum were also shocked but smiling all the same, but it was one of those all-knowing smiles as if they knew there would be more to come.

"OK, I'll be back in a few more minutes." he said

"No, no Troy, that's so sweet, what made you say those things?" Ava asked

"They're true" It was a simple phrase, but one that went right through everyone, especially Gabriella Montez.

_Hey, hope you enjoyed it and like Kelsis' idea :)_

_**Editing for this chapter is done, I'm working on another High School Musical one which I hope to have done by Christmas, as it is a Christmas one. **_


	6. First Official Date

Troyella

**Chapter 6: First Official Date [Edited]**

Troy was nervous, more nervous than he had been in his life, excluding asking Gabriella to be his girlfriend, he had it all planned out of course, but it didn't stop him from worrying things would go wrong. Apart from the nerves he was also very excited; he would finally be going on a date with Gabriella Montez.

Gabriella was also excited, this wasn't just her first date with Troy, this was her first date ever. She really didn't know what she had to do, aside from show up. She and Troy had agreed that he would take her to school again and bring her home; she was looking forward to being in the play, but knew she didn't like big audiences, but with Troy around she felt she could do anything.

Gabriella had just finished getting ready when she heard a car horn sound from outside her house.

_'That_ must _be_ _Troy'_ she thought, smiling to herself.

"Hey Gabriella" he called from his car.

"Hey, you OK?" she asked while getting in.

"I'm good thank you, how're you?" he asked

"I'm great, thanks" she replied.

Troy decided he'd put the radio on, quietly so they could talk over it.

"So, are you looking forward to two hour rehearsals with Darbus? he asked.

"Minus the Darbus part, then yes I am" she smiled.

"Can't say I blame you, you'll get used to her" Troy told her.

"Are you used to her?"

"I don't count, I've known her since junior school" Troy replied.

Gabriella grinned "That doesn't answer my question" she said, getting out of the car.

"Alright, maybe you don't get used to her, but you do learn how to handle her" he winked.

Gabriella giggled.

As they walked through the school doors, they came face to face with Ms Darbus.

"Good to see you came in today, remember straight after school, don't be late" she warned.

"I feel sorry that you've had to deal with her for four years" Gabriella said.

"Even before that, I used to have to come here when I was younger so my dad could take me home, I actually got to cause trouble and get away with it, well my dad said I could choose one teacher, all part of that 'boys will be boys' thing. Anyway, she did something, so I decided she would be my victim, it was awesome, until I actually started coming here for real"

She giggled, imagining a mini Troy running around the school causing chaos.

The day passed excruciatingly slow, neither Troy nor Gabriella had any lessons together and couldn't wait for break or lunch to see each other. Finally after what seemed like years, they were allowed out of their classrooms and into the Theatre for rehearsals.

When they came in Darbus tried and failed to catch their attention, and they wondered why she was always so stern.

"Girls and boys, this is a theatre, not a cafeteria, leave your social lives outside in the hall. Now, we have a lot to do if we want to pull this off. Today we will rehearse the songs and put them onto a CD and we will distribute copies between the eight of you, nine when Sharpays brother gets here"

No one really had any response to this; Darbus took that as they all understood exactly what they had to do.

"Bolton – Montez, you'll be starting with The Start of Something New" she called sternly.

As they sang, this time the group were less shocked, but it didn't cease to amaze them how good they were. During the song all those in the audience started shifting in their seats, trying to make the least amount of noise possible as not to disturb the recording.

All too soon the song ended and one by one, two by two, three by three, four by four everyone got up to do the songs. They decided once Ryan got here his voice would be put in with the other recordings afterwards.

After all the songs had been sung, Darbus had no choice but to let them leave early. She hadn't expected the group of young people to be so easy to work with.

"Kelsi, those songs are awesome" Troy complimented, walking out of the school.

"Thanks, you guys inspired me to write them. The Start of Something New is obviously a cover but you guys sang it so well, I had to put it in there" she smiled.

Troy and Gabriella shared a sweet look before they resumed talking to their friends. After a while they all said they had to leave for one reason or another, so once everyone had gone Troy and Gabriella got in the car and drove home, softly singing to the radio.

"So, you're still coming by, say around seven?" Troy asked, hopeful.

Gabriella smiled "Seven" she nodded in agreement.

Troy kissed her cheek gently before walking towards his own house.

When Troy walked through the door he knew no one would be home, his parents were out for a late anniversary day out and dinner and his younger sister was at a sleepover so he had the house to himself.

He closed the door behind him and went straight for the kitchen, knowing that the cupboards underneath the sink contained all the cleaning products he needed. Troy went around each room he knew Gabriella would set foot in, making sure everything was perfect.

When he was satisfied with the work he'd done he quickly looked at his watch and noticed it was half past six. He quickly ran upstairs to get showered and changed before she got there.

Gabriella wasn't usually one of those girls, who spent hours trying to figure out what to wear how to look, but tonight was important for them both and she knew it. She wanted to look like she cared about him and put the effort in to show him just that.

Once she'd picked an outfit she had a quick shower so she had time to dry her hair and put her make-up on. She also wasn't one for plastering layers of foundation on herself. If she ever did have more than the natural look to herself it would be her eyes and nothing more.

Once she was ready she realized it was nearly seven so raced downstairs and out the door. She left a note in case her mum got back from work before she got back from Troy's telling her where she was.

Gabriella was on the doorstep at exactly seven o'clock. She quickly rang the doorbell and stood there waiting for him to answer.

As soon as Troy heard the doorbell he quickly ran from the kitchen, where he was cooking himself and Gabriella, what he hoped, would be a good meal. As he opened the door he stood there mesmerised. "Hey" he breathed.

"Hey" she said amazed by how the place looked.

He had rose petals scattered everywhere, candles glowing and a lovely aroma filled the home.

He took her jacket, and hung it in the coat cupboard, and led her inside.

"Troy this is beautiful" she said, not believing what he is doing for her.

"I can think of something more beautiful" he said smiling.

"What?" she asked curiously

"You" he said softly, she blushed and thanked him.

"So, what are we having?" Gabriella asked.

"You should know the answer to that" Troy replied.

"I should?" she asked.

"Mmhm" she led her to the living room, so she had somewhere comfortable to sit.

"It's a surprise, isn't it?" she asked as he was walking towards the kitchen, knowing the answer.

"Too smart for your own good, Montez" he called back.

Gabriella giggled and sat there for a while, waiting for her meal to be cooked.

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" she asked.

"You come in here and you'll regret it" he warned her.

"Uh huh" she replied, not really believing him but didn't move from where the sofa anyway.

"Ok, everything's cooking and prepared" he told her, walking back into the room "Would you like anything to drink?" he asked, imitating a waiter.

Gabriella laughed "No thanks, maybe later" Troy nodded and sat down next to her.

"You really do look beautiful tonight" he told her.

Gabriella blushed "Thank you" she replied. She was wearing a stunning black dress which came above her knee which fitted her flawlessly.

"You look very handsome yourself." She told him. He had decided to wear jeans with a shirt which matched his eyes perfectly.

"Thank you" he replied, grateful for the compliment.

"So, you've been here a week now, how do you like Albuquerque?" Troy asked, genuinely interested.

"Well I haven't gotten out much, apart from school and the beach, but I've had the best time since I've been here. Probably the my favourite place to have moved to." She told him.

Troy smiled "Wow, that's really good. How many times have you moved? Just out of curiosity"

"Well, I usually move from America to England. Good and bad places in both but that's life. There can't be a place that's wholly good; I've come to accept that. I've been moving around since I was little, so I can't really give you an exact number" she told him.

"That's fine" he replied "Do you, like moving all the time?"

Gabriella giggled "No, not at all. Always having to start a new school as the new girl and making new friends only having to leave them again. It's hard, but good things can come out of it" she told him.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Well, for one I'm so paranoid I'm going to fall behind I'm always on top of my studies, it was hard moving back and forth from countries because we have different syllabuses to England"

Troy grinned "Studying? That's the good thing to come out of it?" he asked.

Gabriella whacked him, playfully "Not the only thing"

"Well, what else?" he asked.

"Ok, even though I have to leave the new friends I've made, I can always keep in contact with them, I had so many people to turn to in any time of need, and it was crazy. And I know those who made the effort to keep in contact with me are true friends"

Troy nodded in understanding.

"Also, if I didn't keep moving all my life my mum would never have taken me on vacation to the Ski Lodge as an apology and I never would have met you there and then I never would have come here and met all your friends and I never would have been able to be with you"

Troy looked up at her, knowing all those things were true. It scared him, one little thing that could have been changed and her whole life could have changed. He didn't want to think about it.

Gabriella knew what he was thinking, she had often thought about it "Scary, huh?" she asked

"Yeah, very"

"All these years I wondered why my life had to be like this. Now, I feel like it's probably one of the best things that could have possibly happened"

He looked at her confused; she just told him she hated moving all the time.

"Don't get me wrong, it's been a rollercoaster, I had my ups and downs, but now the ride's finished and I can get off and move to the next one" she told him.

Troy smiled "Nice way of putting it"

They sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both just thinking.

"Dinners almost ready" he told her, checking the time. "Come on" he said, leading her to the dining room.

When they walked into the room Troy opened her chair out for her to sit.

Gabriella giggled at his gentleman-like qualities "Why thank you"

Troy pushed her chair forwards into the table "You're welcome" he replied, pecking her cheek before walking into the kitchen to get their food.

He walked back in with their starters' bruschetta and soup.

"Starters?" Gabriella asked, amazed.

"Well, it is our first date, we should make it memorable and do it right" he told her.

Gabriella smiled as the bowl was put in front of her "Did you cook everything yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah, hopefully I won't poison you" he chuckled.

"You'd better not" she replied as he sat down.

"Never on purpose" he winked.

Gabriella smiled and tried each starter.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, apprehensively.

"Troy, it's amazing. Where did you learn to cook?"

Troy shrugged "Could be from watching mum, could be from watching Zeke, who knows?"

As the night went by Troy brought out the main meal which was spaghetti and meatballs, which he knew was her favourite.

"You remembered?" she asked.

"Of course, what's the point in asking if I'm just going to forget?" he asked.

She smiled at this but thought for a second "Unless you're Chad, right?"

Troy laughed, sitting down once again "Chad wouldn't even bother to ask, what he would do is call me an hour before to organise everything before Taylor gets there"

"Has it happened before?" Gabriella asked

Troy laughed "Yes it did"

"How'd it go?"

"Terrible, she found out I was in the kitchen when his mum walked in"

Gabriella giggled and dug into her food, which she again told him was exquisite.

Through the main meal they kept silent, holding one another's hand across the table, just being with each other was enough at that point.

"You ready for desert?" Troy asked after a few minutes of small talk once they'd finished.

Gabriella went wide-eyed "You made desert?"

"What can I say, I wanted tonight to be special" he told her

Gabriella smiled "Thank you. Me too"

Troy nodded "I'll be right back then" he said, gathering the plates once more and walking into the kitchen.

He walked back out with two slices of cheesecake and a scoop of ice cream beside it.

"You really went all out, didn't you?"

Troy laughed "I guess so" he smiled sheepishly.

"It's amazing, what you've done. Thank you, no one's ever done anything like this for me before" she admitted.

Troy looked at her "I find that hard to believe"

"It's true" she replied, and took a bite out of the desert "This is delicious, I think you could give Zeke a run for his money" Gabriella told him.

Troy laughed "Don't tell him that, baking is his passion"

"Fine, it'll be our little secret" she told him.

Troy smiled "Our little secret it is"

Once they finished their desert Troy took the plates away and told Gabriella to put whatever she wanted on the TV while he washed up.

"Do you want any help?" Gabriella asked.

"I got it, you in the living room I'll be there in a minute" he told her.

Gabriella decided she wanted to watch a film and looked down the list for any decent ones. She decided to settle on The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, her all time favourite film.

"So, you like Narnia?" he asked, sitting down.

Gabriella shrugged, while she snuggled into him. Troy put his arm around her and began stroking her hair.

"The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe has always been a favourite of mine, I'm not entirely sure why. The first time I saw the animated version I was hooked"

"How old were you?" Troy asked.

"Probably around five, it was at infant school" she explained.

"I see"

"You're not going to make fun?" she asked, warningly.

Troy laughed "Promise" he said, leaning further towards her.

After what must have been a while Troy felt someone shaking him awake, Troy didn't remember falling asleep. Troy woke up; he was lying on the sofa with a soundly sleeping Gabriella on top of him. He noticed his dad turning the TV off, meaning they had at some point fell asleep during the film.

He looked up to see his mum above him, realizing they must have gotten back from their anniversary dinner.

"Hey, how was your night?" Troy whispered, not wanting to startle Gabriella.

"It was good, thank you. We had to leave before desert though, the staff were unbelievably rude since the last time we were there" Lucille told her son.

"Sorry guys, if you want there's cheesecake in the fridge" he told them.

"Well then I assume you had a good night?" Jack asked.

Troy nodded, smiling. "I'm going to take Gabriella home, then I'm going to bed" he told his parents.

"Alright, goodnight son" they said.

"Night"

Troy carefully lifted Gabriella into his arms and walked to her house, he didn't want to ring the doorbell in case Ava was sleeping but knew he shouldn't just walk in unannounced, so he did.

Ava wasn't sleeping, but wondering who could be at the door as Gabriella had a key. When she opened the door she saw a sleeping Gabriella in Troys arms.

"Hi Ava" Troy greeted "I'm not waking you, am I?" he whispered.

Ava shook her head "She fell asleep?"

"We both did, we were watching a film" he told her.

"I see, I assume you know where Gabriella's room is?" Ava asked, as Gabriella told her about the sick day.

Troy nodded in confirmation and walked to Gabriella's room and tucked her in.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked, tiredly.

"Hey, you're awake?" he asked.

Gabriella groaned, leaving her answer as that. Troy chuckled softly.

"Troy" Gabriella whispered, sitting up "Tonight, was amazing. You see, because of all the moving around, I've never had a boyfriend before. You are my first boyfriend and tonight was my first time on a date, ever." Finally she looked into his eyes "And you made it truly wonderful, I just needed to tell you that"

Troy looked at her for a moment and smiled, not knowing what to say to that speech he gave her. He felt a rush of affection but held back, knowing they weren't at that stage in their relationship yet, so settled for cupping her face and kissing her forehead firmly. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"You're an amazing person Gabriella; I will always do my best to give you everything I can. As long as you want me to"

Gabriella smiled and nodded "I'd like that"

"I'd better go; my parents will start to get worried." Troy told her, Gabriella nodded in agreement. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked

"Of course" she smiled.

Troy kissed her once more on the cheek before leaving the house, after saying goodbye to Ava, walking into his room and threw himself on his bed. His feelings for Gabriella were growing all the time; he just hoped she felt the same about him.

Little did he know Gabriella was wide awake next door, thinking exactly the same thing.

_**Another chapter edited :)**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	7. East High vs South High

Troyella

**Chapter 7: Game against South [Edited]**

Today was East High's first basketball game of the season. It was against South High, which were a relatively easy team to beat however, Troy was still nervous. People said being nervous is a good thing, it prepares you more and gives you that adrenalin you need to go out and do your best, but Troy just felt sick.

The game was important because they had to show, once again, that East High were the ones to beat, East High were the ones that were going to win this year and East High were unstoppable. He was also nervous because it was going to be the first time Gabriella has seen him play in a real game and he wanted to play especially well to impress her.

So, Troy may have been nervous but Gabriella was excited for the game, for the same reason Troy was nervous. She had never seen him play in a real game and couldn't wait to see him in his element. She had been told South High was an easy team but Gabriella didn't care; she was there to see Troy, and support the Wildcats.

Troy couldn't help but feel uneasy when he walked into school that day. He knew that everyone was counting on him, the Captain, to make sure they won today. And though this is what usually happened, Troy always found it just as nerve-wracking as always. No one ever seemed to notice this, but this time Gabriella Montez was there to notice, and she did.

"Hey, are you OK?" she asked worried, walking down the hallway.

"Hmm? Yeah I'm fine, just a little nervous, everyone's counting on me so I have to be on my game today" he told her.

Gabriella nodded "So, you feel you're being pressured more than most?" She asked.

"Ah, the whole team is pressured to do well" he told her.

"Why do they do it?" she asked, knowing he had just avoided the question, purposefully.

Troy thought for a minute, trying to gather his thoughts "I'm Captain, I've never missed a shot since being at East High, it's what people expect"

"But that's not fair, there are ten other members on the team; it's not just up to you to bring home the trophy"

"And we don't see it that way, but if something goes wrong it's on me, that's just the way it is" he told her. "Come on; let's get to tutor" he said, wanting to change the subject.

They went to tutor, not noticing Chad coming round the corner after hearing every word.

Chad really didn't know Troy felt that way, yeah sure he's what Gabriella saw, but then by the time the match was over, they had always won, Chad felt pretty ashamed of himself and decided to make sure that tonight, the game will not rest on one persons shoulders.

Through periods one and two things were getting worse for Troy, no one would leave him alone about the game tonight, and he was beginning to get pretty agitated.

Chad had told the rest of the group what he heard Troy saying and all tried their best to take pressure off of him, without him getting suspicious, also if the boys weren't in the lessons then the four girls would try and get his mind off the game, including Gabriella, which he was grateful for.

However, the pressure had caught up with him by break and Troy was starting to feel sick to the stomach about tonight.

"Hey man, you look like you're going to collapse, no offense, but are you OK?" Chad asked, seriously concerned about his best friend now.

Troy smiled, apart from Gabriella, he was the only person to actually realise what he was feeling "Yeah, just nervous about the game, that's all" he said, but he sounded tired.

"Maybe you should go to the nurses' office, see what she says" Taylor suggested.

"I'm fine serio...whoa" he tried standing up from his seat in the canteen, but his brain and body decided to disagree with this action.

"Troy, you're going to the nurses' office, right now" Sharpay ordered.

Troy groaned "Fine" he sighed, defeated.

The truth was before every game he was down the nurses office, his friends were soon about to find that out. They walked down the hallway, people still coming up to him, which was amazing considering he felt the whole school had already done so.

"Ah Mr Bolton, I thought you might come, now remember take these when you get home, sleep and when you wake up you should be good as new" she smiled.

"Thank you" he smiled gratefully at the nurse.

They walked out, the rest of the group bewildered about what just happened.

"What was that? Sharpay asked.

"What was what?" he asked back.

"Dude, do you usually go in there?" Zeke asked.

"Only before matches" he said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kelsi asked.

"There's nothing wrong with me, these tablets are just to help me relax a bit, helps after the school days like this"

"Dude, I'm so sorry I didn't notice before" Chad felt so guilty now; he never knew he did this and they were best friends.

"It's not your fault, and no it's not any of your faults either, now the bell is about to go so maybe we should get to class" Troy suggested.

Gabriella and Troy had History while the others had Geography.

"Are you OK? You seem pretty quiet"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just curious, why you kept this to yourself for so long? I mean I wasn't there so I'm not judging or anything" she asked.

"Well, because there's nothing wrong with me, I don't want them to worry because I'm nervous about something" he smiled for what seemed like the first time since the day began.

She smiled back and hugged him. He was slightly taken back by this but hugged back anyway.

"Whoa, what's this for?" he asked.

"Nothing, just don't listen to everyone else, you have Chad, Jason and Zeke out on the court supporting you and me, Kelsi, Sharpay and Taylor up there supporting all four of you, no matter what happens"

Troy couldn't believe it, all his nerves were washed away, knowing that his best friends had his back through whatever was all he needed to hear, when she told him this he hugged back tighter and whispered "Thank you" in a tone that Gabriella recognised in him and she was extremely happy about it.

At lunch every one noticed the change in Troy, they asked him, and just to make sure, he asked them if what Gabriella had said was true, they all looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Of course we will" Sharpay said hugging Troy.

"Dude, you think you're going to get rid of me just from losing, besides it's a team sport right?" Chad asked, rhetorically.

That was it, Troy was slowly regaining his confidence and knew that by the start of the game, he would be fully motivated; he just had to either avoid everyone else, or not listen to them. He wished the first one were possible however, he knew he couldn't skip class, so decided to go with the more realistic approach and ignore everyone except those closest to him.

EAST vs. SOUTH

Everyone was excited for the match; for once even Troy was enjoying it.

"Hey Captain, don't let us down" a guy from the team said to Troy.

Troy frowned but shook it off; Chad however, didn't let it go that easily. "Hey, it's a team sport man; you'd better be helping us win"

The guy looked shocked, he wasn't expecting that.

Troy looked gratefully to Chad, who just nodded, knowing he appreciated it.

"Let's just all go out there and do our best" Troy said.

The whole locker room was filled with grins of determination.

Troy led the team out of the locker room onto the court yelling towards the crowd and the team the piece made to get the team motivated.

_**"WHAT TEAM?"**_

_"WILDCATS!"_

_**"WHAT TEAM?"**_

_"WILDCATS!"_

_**"WHAT TEAM?"**_

_"WILDCATS!"_

_**"WILDCATS"**_

_"__GET'CHA HEAD IN THE GAME__"_

They chanted around the pitch. East High crowd were jumping around clapping and cheering, cheerleaders were cheering their different cheers and the whole school was just extremely hyped up for the game.

Somehow, Troy spotted Gabriella in the crowd, cheering with everyone else; smiling at him mouthing _'Good Luck'_ he smiled back, and turned his attention to the game.

At half time East were ahead, but knew the game was far from over, if they wanted to win, they'd have to work really hard and work as a team, everything can change in a matter of minutes in this game.

Once the game got going again, East looked like an entirely new team, they had different strategies, they got the ball every chance they could, there was a lot more passing and a lot more shots going in, South were so shocked by this, East High played good in the first half but the second half they were exceptional. Even Coach Bolton wasn't expecting such a play from his team.

By the end of the match the score was South: 82 - East: 160

East High celebrated and South High went home defeated, wondering what happened during the break to East that they were only able to score just a few times in the second half.

The group decided to go to a celebratory dinner, congratulating the guys for winning the game tonight.

"So guys, you did it. First game of the season and you thrash them" Sharpay said, smugly.

"Yeah, one down nine to go" Zeke reminded them.

"Don't be so pessimistic" Sharpay scolded her boyfriend.

"Alright, let's focus on the win tonight, shall we?" Troy suggested.

They all agreed, after they ordered they started talking among themselves again.

"So, I'd like to say something" Troy told them.

"Uh oh" Chad teased, earning whacks from Taylor and Sharpay who were on either side of them, causing the rest of the table to laugh.

"Anyway, I just want to say thanks to you guys today. You all really helped me out and it meant a lot today to have you all behind me and the rest of the Wildcats." Troy told them.

"We've always got your back, bro" Chad told him, seriously.

"Yeah, good times or bad times, ups and downs, win or lose, you'll always have us" Kelsi told him.

"Yeah, so suck it up Bolton, you won't be getting rid of us for a long, long time" Sharpay smirked.

Troy laughed and looked around the table at his friends and girlfriend and nodded "Well bring it on, I wouldn't have it any other way"

After an eventful meal Troy drove Gabriella home, they went across to the park and talked for a bit, as they didn't get much time to today.

"Hey, sorry if I was such a pain today" Troy said, knowing he must have been at least a little.

"No, you weren't, I would have been the same if I had been in the same position.

"Well, thanks" he smiled, genuinely grateful.

"What for?"

"You were there for me today, you were one of the only people who had no high expectations of me and that was just the best feeling, to just play and not be judged" he told her.

"Well, you're one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I'm not about to let a few people from school bring you down like that" she whispered, but loudly enough so he could hear.

"And you are one of the best things that has ever happened to me, I will always be there for you, no matter what, OK?" he told her.

She smiled and nodded "OK"

"Now let's get you home" they got up and walked to their houses. Troy found the tablets the nurse gave him and threw them away, knowing that if he had Gabriella beside him that was all he needed.

_**Ok, chapter 7 done – I hope I can get all these edited and uploaded by, either tonight or tomorrow so I can go ahead and start some more serious writing for this :)**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	8. Party at School

Troyella

**Chapter 8: Party at school [Edited]**

Troy woke up today feeling much better than yesterday morning, _'but things are different now'_ he told himself. He was really happy they won because now, at school they got to have a 'We Won the First Basketball Game of the Season' party, no one knew why they had this party but they did, and they weren't about to complain.

Gabriella had no clue what would be happening at school today, as far as she was concerned it was just a normal school day, as she had never been to a school where they did anything like this, she figured there was nothing to be excited about, and so when she saw Troy all happy and excited, she was beyond curious.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Why? Can't a guy be happy?"

"Well, yeah, but we're going to school, what's there to be happy about?" she asked

He thought for a moment, and then it dawned on him. She wouldn't have a clue what would be going on today.

"Just wait until we get to school" he told her, smiling.

She decided she'd leave it there; she wanted to know more but knew Troy wouldn't give anything away.

When they got to school, there were red and white banners flying everywhere, BBQ going, drinks being given out, music blasting, Gabriella was confused, she hadn't got a clue what was going on but definitely wanted answers.

"Troy, what on earth is going on?" she asked.

"We won the game yesterday, so today we get a celebration party, one every time we win the first game, and the last game."

"You couldn't have told me that before?"

"No" he replied.

"You weren't supposed to answer" she glared playfully at him.

He laughed, "Come on, let's just enjoy this" he said and she was all for it.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Sharpay came over.

"Nothing much, you?" they replied.

"Hello people, I'm having fun, which is what you all should be doing, we deserve it"

"We deserve it?" Gabriella asked, making it clear she didn't remember Sharpay dressed in the Wildcat kit and playing yesterday.

"Hey, we were in the stands supporting them, which takes a lot of work" she told her.

Gabriella giggled at her friends' logic.

"Right then, I'm going to get a drink" Troy told the group when they all got there.

"Fine, leave us, see if we care"

"Sharpay" They warned.

"Sorry"

They laughed, she couldn't control being dramatic, it was in her nature, but at least they knew it would never get boring with her around.

"I'll come with you" Gabriella said.

"Alright"

They walked to the refreshments table, unaware of everyone else talking about them.

"They make such a cute couple don't they" Sharpay gushed.

"Yeah, but what happens if some cheerleader comes along and tries to break them apart?" Taylor asked.

"Not going to happen if they did they'd have me to deal with" Sharpay told them, fiercely.

"Whoa, who said anything was going to happen, nothing will trust me" Chad said.

They all turned to him.

"What, between us and Sharpay, who would dare to intervene" He had a point.

While they were talking Troy and Gabriella were getting their drinks and talking randomly.

"Hey, do you think objects have personalities" Gabriella asked.

"Ok, random question but I'll bite, what kind of objects?" Troy asked, wanting to know where this was going.

"Like, CD players for example" she said.

"Hmm" he said, thinking of a logical answer to the strange question "Well I suppose, not to sound too strange but, if their angry they won't work, if their happy they'll work fine, and if they want to annoy you they'll skip and jump, why you asking?" he asked realising what he just said.

"No reason, just thinking the same really, yesterday, I was just curious to know what you thought."

"OK then, fair enough"

The others walked over to them.

"What you guys talking about?" They asked

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other.

"CD players and their personalities" they said at the same time.

Troy and Gabriella had to laugh as each face of their friends went from normal to confused simultaneously.

"OK guys listen up" the Principle said talking into the microphone.

"We want to welcome the Captain of the basketball team up here, Troy Bolton, to say a few words about, how they won the game"

"WOO! YEAH! GO ON TROY!" was what everyone was cheering at this moment in time.

Troy in the end gave up his protests, or as anyone else would put it, was persuaded by Gabriella, and went on stage.

"So Troy, what do you think made it possible for East High to win?" The Principal asked.

"This is new. Well team work, we worked as a team, passing, and just had fun playing the game, my friends out their supporting us, my girlfriend Gabriella out there supporting me and the East High student population supporting us."

The gang smiled at how he mentioned them and the team, Gabriella smiled and blushed a bit.

"And you've been able to do all of this while keeping up with your school work" he asked.

"Well I know I have, but don't bring Chad up here and expect the same answer"

Everyone turned to Chad.

"What, I've been behind since infant school, how am I supposed to catch up now?" he replied, innocently.

They all laughed.

"So how do you think the next game against Highland High School will go next week?" he asked.

"Hopefully, as good as the one against South did, if not better" he said.

Everyone cheered at the statement.

"Thank you Troy"

Troy walked off stage and walked back to his friends.

"That was odd" he said.

"Thanks for mentioning us" Taylor said.

"Well, you guys were there supporting us, and that had a major effect on our game, how could I not mention you all" he said.

They all smiled.

"Now let's just enjoy the part-"

"Can we just ask Taylor and Gabriella how the preparations for the Scholastic Decathlon is going for tomorrow?"

"It's going really well sir, hopefully we'll win" Taylor told him.

"Which is to be expected" he smiled "OK back to the party"

"Wait, so we have to win? He expects us to win?" Gabriella asked worried.

"Hey, you'll do great don't worry, and I'll be up there supporting you" Troy told her "And yes if Chad's not coming I'll obviously support you too Taylor" he said answering her forming question.

"Thanks"

"Wait, why wouldn't I be there?" he asked.

"When do you ever go?" Troy asked

"OK, OK, I'll be there tomorrow, what time does it start?" Chad asked.

"6:30 am to set everything up, if not then 7:00 am" Taylor told him.

"Which time have you woken up for it?" he asked Troy.

"I wake up at 6am to be here by 6:10 to open the school, I get the keys from my dad, then I start setting everything up, which takes me to 6:30, when the rest arrive to help" he told him.

"Do you think you could wake me up, it would be easier for you" he said with a hopeful look.

"Sure, but I'm not letting you drive, you want be to come back and pick you up?" he asked Gabriella.

"No, I'll go when you're going" she told him.

"You sure?" he asked surprised.

"Absolutely, I'm not looking forward to seeing morning Chad, but I'll get over it" she told him.

"HEY! There's nothing wrong with me in the mornings" he told her, offended.

"Once, you through a lamp at me because I tried to wake you up." Troy grinned at the memory.

"It was probably an unreasonable time" he said.

"It was 11:30" he told him.

"Oh"

"Don't go throwing anything at my head" Gabriella warned him.

"Yeah right, if I did, Troy would never let me live it down...scratch that, he'd never even let it happen"

"He has a point" Troy agreed.

Gabriella smiled.

"Aw, someone's getting all shy now" Sharpay said looking at Gabriella.

Gabriella groaned and hid her face towards Troys chest.

They laughed while Troy pulled her in for a hug.

"Aw, how adorable" Sharpay said in a babyish voice.

"Restrain from killing, restrain from killing" Gabriella whispered so only she and Troy could hear.

"If I were you, Sharpay, I'd run" Sharpay looked confused, until Gabriella suddenly turned round and started chasing her.

The gang was in fits watching a pretty fast Gabriella, gaining on Sharpay who was in very high heels Gabriella lunged at her sending Sharpay and herself to the floor. The gang ran over to see them both in fits of laughter of their own.

"Wow Gabriella, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you" Jason said, they all laughed.

They decided to get some lunch and just talk for a while, after the party finished they all went to the secluded space on the beach just to hang out. As it got later the conversations got shorter.

"So, what's everyone doing at the weekend" Sharpay asked.

"Nothing why?" they all replied.

"Was wondering if you wanted to come round for a sleepover" she asked.

"I'm in" Troy replied, everyone agreed.

"I have to go home and study for tomorrow; do you want a lift Gabriella?" Taylor asked.

"No thanks I think Troy is taking me back" she turned to him making sure it was still OK.

"Yeah I am, see you tomorrow Taylor" he said.

"Bye guys"

"Bye"

"Well I guess I'm off, it's 9:00 pm so see you guys" Sharpay said, Zeke decided to go with her, Kelsi and Jason left and in the end so did Chad.

"So I guess we're on our own" Troy said looking around.

"Yeah, looks like it" she replied, shivering.

"You cold?" he asked noticing the movement.

"Just a little" she replied.

"Here" he said taking his jacket off.

"But what about you?" she asked.

"I'll be fine, but we might want to get you back home" he suggested.

"Yeah, good idea" she replied.

"But first we're going for ice cream" he said.

"No complaints here" they laughed.

"So, when's your dad coming back from his business trip?" Troy asked.

"No idea, sometimes he's gone for months at a time, sometimes he can just appear on your doorstep" she told him.

"Oh, so what does he do?" he asked.

"I don't know, they never really tell me anything to do with their work" she told him.

"Maybe they're spies and your dads on a top secret mission as we speak"

She laughed, "Now that would be cool"

They got their ice creams and ate them in the car, Gabriella sighed happily.

"What?" Troy asked.

"Nothing, just thinking"

"About?"

"About how amazingly perfect my life has been since I met you?"

Troy smiled "Funny, I was thinking the same thing yesterday" he said.

They drove home; completely happy with the way their lives were at the moment and hoping that nothing would change.

_**I don't think much needed changing in this chapter – if you spot anything I didn't please let me know :)**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	9. East High vs Highland High School

Troyella

**Chapter 9: Scholastic Decathlon - East High vs. Highland High School [Edited]**

_"Hello?"_ Gabriella answered her phone.

_"Hey, thought I'd wake you up as well, tell you we're leaving in about 20 minutes"_ Troy replied.

_"Oh, yeah, thanks Troy, I'll come by in about 10 minutes"_ she replied.

_"OK, cool, see you then"_

_"Bye"_

Gabriella was thankful she wasn't one of those girls who had to look immaculate every second she was breathing. It took her about five minutes to get a shower, and three minutes to get changed. She went to Troys and knocked on the door, instead of ringing the doorbell, thinking his parents would still be asleep.

"Hey, come in" he said opening the door.

"Thanks"

"You hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little" she told him.

"Come on, what do you want for breakfast?"

"What do you have?" she asked.

"Cereal, Toast, Waffles, Pancakes, or English Breakfast" he told her.

"Well, don't cook it'll take too long, I'm not very keen on cereal, so any of the other three is fine" she told him.

"Waffles it is"

Gabriella giggled "Fine by me"

Once they ate it was around 6:05am, Troy had decided to get up earlier than planned knowing how hard it would be to wake Chad up.

"Hey man" Troy said seeing Chad.

"Hey" He said shortly.

"He'll be happy once he gets food in him" he told Gabriella.

"Heard that"

They drove to the school, while Chad was snoring in the back.

"Ch..."

"Wait" Troy whispered she looked confused, she got out of the car and closed the door quietly wondering what Troy was up too.

"1...2...3..."

_SLAM_

"UNICORN INVASION, EVERY BODY RUN!" Chad screamed as he woke up.

Troy and Gabriella couldn't stop laughing.

"Oh yeah, very funny" He told them fully awake.

"It was actually, but what exactly were you dreaming about?" Gabriella asked.

"Unicorns taking over the world" He said quietly.

"Dude!"

"Let's just get this started already, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah"

"Oh and not a word to Taylor" he warned.

"We won't have to, you'll tell her yourself" Troy told him.

"Will not"

"Will too, now come on we have a lot to do"

"Let's go" Gabriella said enthusiastically.

They got everything set up in about twenty minutes; they had been talking amongst themselves for a few minutes before Taylor showed up with the rest of the Scholastic Decathlon group.

"Hey guys"

"Hey Taylor" they replied.

"You alright" she asked.

"Yeah, we're good, you?" Gabriella replied.

"Yeah, I'm good, so maybe we should go over everything before they get here" Taylor suggested.

"While you guys do that, Chad and I will check everything is working properly"

"Excuse me?" Chad was so not up for that

"OK, I'll check everything is working properly" Troy corrected.

"Better" Chad said

Half an hour later people started showing up, they got seated and waited for Highland High School to show up.

"Where are they?" Gabriella asked.

"No clue" Taylor replied

"Sorry we're late" the leader said as they walked through the school "There was a lot of traffic"

"Don't worry about it, let's get started" Taylor replied.

_**-OK, I don't know how these things work, so it's going to be questions and answers instead, sorry-**_

"We'll start with maths." The official stated.

"**How many degrees are there in four sided shape?"**

"360"

"East High gets 10 points"

"**Simplify f x h x 5"**

"5fh"

"Highland High School gets 10 points"

"**What**** is 10/40 + 10/40?"**

"20/40"

"East High, 10 points, maths over."

_Break_

"Now for Science, **What does Green stand for on the pH scale?"**

"Neutral"

"East High, 10 points.

"**What vitamin comes from the sun?"**

"Vitamin D"

"Highland High School, 10 points.

"**Name 2 things, that if you have too much of it, can cause cancer"**

"X-Rays and the sun"

"East High, 10 points.

_Break_

"Now for History.

"**Which war was the only war America couldn't win?"**

"The Vietnam War"

"East High, 10 points.

"**Name 2 CRM (Civil Rights Movement) leaders"**

"Martin Luther King and Malcolm X"

"Highland High School, 10 points.

"**Which, out of Vesalius and Harvey, was a specialist in Anatomy?"**

"Vesalius"

"East High 10 points, game over East High wins 60 - 30"

Everyone from East High cheered happy that they won, because of the decathlon, they got to go home early, the gang decided to go to their secret bit at the beach.

"Well guys, congratulations" Troy congratulated.

"Thanks, and thanks for helping us set up" Taylor said

"What about me?" Chad asked.

"How much did he do...?" Troy was about to reply.

"Gabriella?" Thinking she couldn't lie.

She smiled "He helped out a lot actually" she said making direct eye contact.

Troy smirked.

"Really?" Taylor asked, surprised.

"Yep" Gabriella replied.

"Hmm, maybe you ought to help Troy more often Chad" Taylor suggested.

"I'll come to them, but waking up that early is something I don't plan on doing again"

They laughed.

"Hey, look, sunset" Kelsi told them

They all looked round to see the sunset.

"Hey, where did Troy and Gabriella go?" Chad asked.

They looked around and saw them in the sea; they kept swimsuits in the boot of Troys car as insurance.

"Aw, they look adorable" Taylor commented.

_CLICK CLICK CLICK_

"Sharpay what are you doing"

"Oh come on, it's only thee, and please don't tell them, I'm planning something and want it to be a surprise"

They dropped the subject, knowing not to come between Sharpay and her surprises.

"Hey look at them" Sharpay said, asking them to look at the pictures.

It had the sunset in the background, with Troy and Gabriella in different positions each time, one of them hugging, one of Troy carrying Gabriella, and one with Troy hugging Gabriella from behind, both smiling and looking in each other's eyes.

"Aww" All the girls said.

"Guys, I'm sorry, but I have to admit, they do make a sweet couple" Chad said.

"Dude, we have to agree"

The gang smiled and watched as Troy and Gabriella walked out of the water holding hands.

_CLICK_

"What's one more going to hurt" Sharpay whispered as everyone looked at her.

"Hey guys, it's getting late, maybe we should head back" Troy suggested.

"Yeah good idea, anyone want a ride home" Sharpay offered, wanting to get the photos printed.

"If it's OK" Kelsi asked.

"Of course come on, everyone else good?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're good" they replied.

"OK come on then"

Troy and Gabriella decided to walk the long way home and just be with each other for a bit.

"Hey Gabriella"

"Yeah" she turned to face him.

"What do you say about going on our second date on Sunday?" he asked

"I'd love to" she replied.

Troy walked Gabriella to her door, even though she was next door, he wanted to.

"So, do you need a ride to Sharpays Saturday?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry you have to take me everywhere" she apologised.

"Hey, I like taking you everywhere, we get more time together" he told her.

She smiled.

"So, I'll pick you up around 9 ish..."

"But, won't that be a little early?" she asked.

"You didn't let me finish, I'll pick you up around 9ish for breakfast, then we'll come back, get out stuff ready, then we can do whatever until 7 then we'll head to Sharpays, sound good?" he asked.

"Yeah, sounds great" she replied.

He kissed her cheek "Goodnight" he said and started walking away.

"Night" she audibly whispered for him to here.

She got in and her mum quickly ran to the sofa, pretending to be doing something else.

"How long have you been watching us?" Gabriella asked.

"What are you talking about?" unfortunately for Ava, Gabriella did not inherit her acting skills from her.

"How long?" she asked again.

"You too are great together you know" She tried changing the subject.

"Thanks" she walked out, Ava thought she was off the hook. "But I'll get it out of you sooner or later mum" she called from upstairs.

"Damn" Ava said quietly.

Troy walked in his house to see his mum with a huge smile on her face.

"What?" he asked a little freaked out.

"Thinking" she replied.

His mum walked into the kitchen, Troy followed.

"About what" he asked taking a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Yours and Gabriella's wedding"

Troy started choking on his drink, his dad laughing.

"Mum, we've only been dating about a week" he told her.

"Oh, and you haven't been thinking about it then?" she asked.

Troy stayed silent "I'll be in my room"

"OH MY GOD" his mum started jumping around and headed straight for the phone.

"Mum, who are you calling?"

"No one" she said dialling with a smile on her face.

Troy carried on walking upstairs.

Mrs Bolton was in her back garden making sure no one could hear her.

"Hey, Ava, yeah it's Lucille, guess what Troy just told me"

Meanwhile

"Hello?"

"Hey Gabriella, its Troy"

"Hey, what's up?" she asked.

"Nothing much, just felt like talking to you" he told her.

"Aww, that's sweet"

"Unless you're busy"

"No, no n..." they both herd squealing from their gardens

"What was that?" he asked.

"I don't know it sounded like our mums, what could they be so happy about?"

Troys eyes went wide "She didn't" he said mostly to himself.

"Who didn't what?" she asked him.

They herd even more squealing.

"My mum is soo dead" then he hung up.

Gabriella blinked for a second before deciding to go see what was going on, she went downstairs but couldn't see her mum, she saw through the back garden she was in Troys, she climbed over the fence when "You did not tell her what I think you did?" Troy came out asking his mum.

"What are you talking about dear?"

"Oh you are soo dead" and started chasing his mum.

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh, Ava and Jack also couldn't hold it back either as Lucille hid behind Jack, Troy still tried to get her but Lucille was twisting Jack so he couldn't get near her.

Troy came up with a plan, he went all the way round his dad and started chasing his mum when she had nowhere else to go, he caught her, she screamed, then

_SPLASH_

"Troy Bolton" She tried to say seriously but couldn't keep a smile off her face.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Alright truce" she said when she was out of the water.

"OK"

They walked over to the others where they still hadn't stopped laughing.

"I wouldn't be laughing Gabriella that will be you soon" she warned.

Gabriella stopped laughing immediately "He wouldn't?"

"Wanna bet" she replied.

"What was this all about anyway?" she asked.

"Nothing" Troy replied quickly giving everyone a death glare

"I'll get it out of all of you sooner or later" she smiled.

"You can try"

"Does anyone want a drink" Jack said trying to change the subject.

"Yeah sure" all the adults went inside, and left Troy and Gabriella on their own.

"Well that was interesting" she said.

He laughed "Yeah I guess"

They sat down on the bench.

"So, I hear it's your birthday next weekend"

"How do you know" she asked

"I have my sources, so what do you want?" he asked.

"You don't have to..."

"Yes I do, now, what do you want?" he asked again.

"I don't know if you want to get me something, which you don't have to, then surprise me" she told him.

He smiled "I think I have the perfect gift for you" he told her.

"What?" She asked.

"I thought you said to surprise you" he smiled, using her own words against her.

She groaned.

"You'll love it" he said, but only loud enough for her to hear.

Hour later

"Thank you for the drinks, but we should get going" Ava said.

"No proble...aw look at them"

They were sleeping on the bench; the bench was in a little see through hut.

"What should we do?" Ava asked.

"Leave them, they'll be fine, we'll put a blanket over them" Lucille said.

"Are you sure"

"Positive"

"OK, well good night"

"Night"

_**Ok, again not much needed editing, but another chapter down :)**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	10. Sleepover

Troyella

**Chapter 10: Sleepover at Sharpays [Edited]**

Troy woke up a little confused, sunlight was blaring through his curtains, he groaned thinking he left his windows open.

He opened his eyes and realised they had been left outside, with Gabriella asleep on top of him. Troy laughed to himself, thinking it was becoming a regular occurrence.

"Gabriella?" Troy called, softly in her ear. He looked at her and saw she was still sleeping, he didn't want to wake her, but thought it was best if he did. "Gabriella, wake up" he whispered in her ear.

She moved a little but didn't wake up; he decided a more, creative approach. Gabriella woke up with a shock and immediately started laughing.

"Troy stop" she laughed.

"You wouldn't wake up" he stated still tickling her.

"Well I'm awake now so please stop" she pleaded through her laughs.

He stopped.

"Thank you" she said regaining her breath.

"So, want some breakfast?" he asked.

"I thought we were going out" she said.

"Well, we can if you want to"

She smiled "No here will be great"

"Great, so what do you want?"

"What have you got?" she asked

"Hmm, how about pancakes today"

"Sounds good"

Suddenly Troys mobile sounded.

"Hey Sharpay" he said recognising the ring tone – Headstrong.

"Hey, just letting you know you're all having dinner at mine, so tell Gabriella because I know she's with you"

"OK I will, and do you have cameras here or something" he asked, looking at the time noticing it was 6:00 am and wondering how she could possibly know Gabriella was with him.

She laughed "No, I know because you're voice is always happier than normal, see you later."

"Bye then"

"Hey, how did you know it was Sharpay?" she asked him.

"All of us chose a song they liked, sung it, and we all have them as our ringtones"

"So what's yours to everyone else?" she asked.

"Welcome to the Black Parade, to the guys, Bet on It, to the girls" he said.

"So what's everyone else's?"

"Sharpay: Headstrong for guys, He said She Said for the girls and We'll Be Together for Zeke **(Ashley Tisdale)**

Chad: Push it to the Limit for the guys, Run it Back Again for the girls and She Could Be for Taylor **(Corbin Bleu)**

Kelsi: True friend for everyone and One in a Million for Jason **(Hannah Montana)**

Jason: How You Remind Me for everyone and Wondering for Kelsi **(Nickelback and Good Charlotte)**

Taylor: Ready to go for everyone and Drop Dead Gorgeous for Chad **(Republica)**

Zeke: Castaway for everyone and Somewhere Only We Know for Sharpay **(Green Day and Keane)**" He told her.

"Wow" she was amazed that they could have actually taken the time to do this, it must have taken a while.

"You want me to send you the songs so you can have them as well" he asked.

"Yeah sure" she got out her phone and eventually got all of the songs.

"You didn't send me Bet on It" she told him.

"Yes, I'm going to do a different song for my one" he told her "Hey, why don't you do the songs thing as well" he suggested.

"Now?" she asked.

"After breakfast" She agreed, so after Troy made their pancakes they got down to it. "So, thought about what songs you're going to do" he asked.

"Hmm, maybe, Let Go for the guys, All or Nothing for girls and Make You Mine for you **(Vanessa Hudgens)**" she told him.

"Excellent choices, let's get started"

"Wait, what are you doing for mine" she asked.

"Well, it's already done, I did it a few days after we started dating, I just need to get it on to your phone, and you won't be able to hear it until I call you" he said.

"Please" she begged.

"Aw, it'll be worth the wait, now sing"

Once all three songs were sung they got them on to Troys phone because it has more memory.

"We'll send it to them later" he told her.

"Cool, what now?" she asked.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Well, you're changed into new clothes, and I'm still in what I wore yesterday, so I think we should head to my house so I can get changed" she suggested.

"Yeah, OK, sorry" he said, realising he hadn't thought about that.

"No problem, you made up for it with your cooking and well this"

By now they were outside her house, she was looking for the spare key, the car wasn't in the drive way so her mum was obviously at work "Found it" she held it up as proof. He laughed "What are you laughing at" she asked as they went into her house.

"Nothing, don't worry" he told her.

"Hmm, OK then, make yourself at home I'll be down in ten minutes" she told him.

"OK" he sat down on the sofa and started flicking through channels until he got to Dexter.

Ten minutes later

"Hey" she said walking into the room.

"Wow, you really were only ten minutes" he said surprised.

"I said I would be" she reminded him, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, but usually when the other three say they'll be ten minutes, they're like, half an hour" he said.

"Yeah, my old friends were like that too, but I just don't see the point in it if you're not going anywhere special" she told him.

He smiled

"What you watching?" she asked.

"Dexter" he told her.

"What's it about?" she asked.

"It's a long story" he said, she gave him a curious look. Troy laughed "It's pretty good" he told her.

"I'll take your word for it" she smiled "So, what do you want to do?" she asked.

"Don't mind, up to you" he said.

"Hmm, well we have two hours until we have to be at Sharpays, how long will it take to get there?" she asked.

"Well, including traffic, half an hour I think"

"How far away does she live?" she asked shocked.

"Really far" he said.

"OK, so we spend half an hour here, doing whatever while getting my stuff ready, then half an hour at yours to get your stuff ready, then we spend half an hour at a cafe or wherever, then half an hour driving to Sharpays, good?" she asked.

"Alright then" he replied.

"Come on then" she took his hand and skipped upstairs.

"Why so happy?" he asked.

"I just feel happy" she said walking into her room.

Gabriella took about ten minutes packing, throwing the usual into her bag: Toothbrush, deodorant, lip gloss and mascara, PJ's and a random outfit to wear for tomorrow and her iPod, she can't sleep without music.

"OK, that took less time than expected" she said.

"Yeah, usually when we are all getting packed, I wait for the others, and when I get there they're still packing" he told her.

"I really don't get that, does that make me weird considering I'm a girl?" she asked.

"No, actually it's really cool, it's definitely one of the things I love about you" she smiled; she felt her heart skip a beat when he said 'love'.

_'Hold it right there, Gabriella'_ she scolded herself.

"You OK?" he asked.

She smiled, he was always making sure she was OK "Yeah I'm fine, happy, great, all positive feelings right now" she said.

When the half an hour at Gabriella's was up, they headed back to Troys.

Troy also only took ten minutes to pack, also taking his iPod, not knowing Gabriella decided to hers.

"OK, so what do we do for another twenty minutes?" she asked.

"How about we drive around for a bit and find a random place near Sharpays and go there until we decide to leave" he suggested.

"I'm getting the feeling you know a random place we can go to" she said.

"Your feeling is correct" he said.

"Let's go then" she said excitedly.

"Oh, and no one, not even the others know about this place" he said, she smiled.

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the place Troy knew about.

"Now we're only ten minutes away from Sharpays house, so if you think about it we're ahead of schedule."

"That's great" she said taking a look around mesmerised. They were on top of a rocky mountain type thing, behind them were plants and bushes, and in front of them were the ocean and the sunset, if it was that late. "How did you find this place?" she asked.

"Driving around one day, Sharpay had invited us all over, and I just wanted to get out of my house for a while before I headed for Sharpays and came across this place" he told her.

"It's beautiful, how did all these plants and flowers get here?" she asked, noticing there was no way of them being grown naturally there.

"Ah, that's where my gardening skills come in handy" he smiled, putting his hand on his neck, nervously.

"You do gardening?" she asked shocked.

"Not really, but my Grandmother, from my dad's side was kind of unwell for a while, she had to go into hospital and everything, I knew how much she loved her garden, so I thought it would be a nice surprise when she got out to see everything was OK, considering she was in there for about three months" he said.

"What did she say when she found out?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled "She loved it" he told her.

"Troy, you are seriously amazing, you never stop surprising me" she told him.

"Believe me, I surprise myself half of the time" he said.

They stayed up there talking for a long while, just being with each other, before they knew it their time was up and they had to go to Sharpays.

"So that's two of my secret places you know of now" he told her.

"I feel privileged" she told him mock serious.

Troy laughed "Well there are more"

"Really?" Gabriella asked, unable to believe it.

"What can I say? I was an adventitious kid"

"So, where are they?"

"School, the mountain we were just on, spot on a different beach, forest and somewhere just outside of Albuquerque" he told her "Don't worry, I'll take you too them soon" he told her.

"You don't have to" she told him.

"Ah, but I want to" she smiled at him.

They drove to Sharpays in a comfortable silence, listening to the radio.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Hey Sharpay" they said as she opened the door.

"Hey guys, come on in" she told them.

"Your house is huge" Gabriella said looking around amazed.

Sharpay laughed, "Yeah I know, you get used to it"

"I bet" she said.

Troy laughed "Come on, let's see the others then send them the songs you sung"

"OK" she said dazed, still shocked at the size of the house.

"Hey guys, you know we all have our own ringtones" Troy said getting every ones attention.

"Yeah" Sharpay replied.

"Well Gabriella's done some of her own, so get your phones out" he told them.

Every ones phones immediately came out of their pockets, eventually both songs were sent.

"So which one have you got?" Kelsi asked Troy.

"A song called 'Make You Mine'" he told her.

"And which did you give to her?" Jason asked.

"He won't tell me" she told them.

"Oh is it a surprise then?" Sharpay said, thinking she knew which one he's done for her.

"Yes and yes you know which one it is" he told Sharpay.

"Aw" she said, Gabriella really wanted to know now.

"OK that's it, what song is it" she asked.

Troy gave up "OK hold on a second" he told her.

He got out his phone and dialled her number, the song _It Takes Two_ came on **(Zac Efron)**, by the end of it Gabriella was smiling with tears in her eyes.

"That's really...I can't even find the words for it" she told him.

"You like it though right?" Taylor asked.

"I love it" she said hugging Troy.

"OK, now that's done, I think dinner is ready so..." Chad ran to the food "let's go" she finished.

"Alright, come on" Troy said helping Gabriella up.

"Thank you"

"Hey dudes" Chad said filling his plate with food.

"You couldn't have waited for us?" Taylor asked rhetorically.

"No" he answered not noticing the glare shooting towards him from his girlfriends face.

"Let's just eat" Sharpay said wanting to keep peace.

After they ate Sharpay decided a round of truths and no dares, no one could be bothered to do dares.

"Gabriella you go first"

"Troy, what was it all about yesterday when you threw your mum in the pool" she asked.

"Dude, you through your mum in the pool" Chad said in fits of laughter.

Troy thought for a moment.

"Answer" Sharpay persisted

He whispered to Gabriella "Yesterday when I got in my mum had a grin on her face I asked her why and she said because she was thinking of our wedding, I choked on my water saying we've only been going out a week, and she retorted with, _'yeah like you haven't been thinking about it'_ and I stayed silent and I threw her in the pool because she told you mum" he told her "That's it" he finished.

"What about us?" Sharpay asked.

"We'll tell you when we want to" Gabriella said very happy.

Everyone had noticed the change in Gabriella's voice, including Troy, which made him very happy but mostly relieved he hadn't freaked her out.

"Yeah, we'll see" Sharpay said.

"Ok, Troy your turn" Taylor said.

"Chad, what were you dreaming about yesterday on the way to school?"

Chad abruptly stopped laughing at the image of Troy throwing his mother into a pool and glared at him while Gabriella giggled at the memory.

"Dude, not cool"

"What were you dreaming about?" Troy repeated.

Chad sighed in defeat and mumbled to them all what he dreamt.

"Can't hear you" Sharpay sang.

"I dreamt that Unicorns were taking over the world, OK!"

They all looked to Troy and Gabriella for confirmation and all went into fits of laughter.

"It's true" Troy grinned.

Taylor, Kelsi and Zeke yawned mid-laugh.

"I'll take that as a hint and say you want to go to bed?" Troy said.

They nodded, their eyes drooping.

"All right well there are only four guest bedrooms, so we'll have to pair up, which I'm assuming we already know who we're pairing with" Sharpay stated.

"Did she just say _'only'_ four guest rooms?" Gabriella asked Troy.

"Apparently her holiday homes have ten" he said.

Gabriella was speechless.

"Alright guys, night" Sharpay and Zeke went up.

"See you guys in the morning" Taylor and Chad went up.

"Sweet dreams" Kelsi and Jason went up.

Troy looked around "Why are we always the last ones left?" he asked.

"Don't know, but it's only 10:30, I'm not tired" Gabriella told him.

"Me neither, but we'd better go up" Troy said.

"You're probably right" she agreed.

"So, what time do you normally go to bed on weekends?" he asked.

"Well, depends how tired I am, but never before midnight" she told him.

"Same here"

By now they were in the guest room getting changed.

"So, what now?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, I think we sleep" he said.

"Hmm, don't want to"

"Me either"

In the end they stayed up until 2 am talking about anything and everything they could think of.

The next morning Sharpay was walking down the corridor waking everyone up when she came to Troy and Gabriella's bedroom. She sighed, knowing Troy could be hard to wake up sometimes and prayed that Gabriella would be easier before bringing her fist down three times on the wood of the door which stood between her and the couple.

Sharpay heard loud groaning from inside the room, indicating they weren't happy about the noise. "Come on guys wake up" a way too energetic voice came from Sharpays mouth.

Gabriella groaned, turned over, and put the covers over her head to drown out the sound. After two more minutes Troy did the same.

"Don't want to get up" she said tiredly.

"Well I don't plan to" he told her.

"Good plan" she said.

"Guys unlock the door!"

"Good call with the lock" she basically thanked him, getting back into a peaceful state.

"Yep, I learned from my mistakes" he said.

Eventually they drifted off back to sleep, and woke up around 11:30 am.

"I still don't want to get up, but unfortunately, my brain is telling me I have to" Gabriella whined.

"Tell your brain to shush, I do it all the time" he said yawning.

_"AAAGGGHHH" _they herd Sharpay screaming.

"Why is she screaming?" Gabriella asked worried.

"Chad probably spilt orange juice over her again" he said casually.

"Oh"

Eventually they did get up, with the gang teasing them on how they were made for each other.

They decided to leave once it got to around 3:40 and go to the secret place near Sharpays, Troy left for about 5 minutes to get food around 7:00 and they ate staring at the stars, knowing that with each other, is exactly where they wanted to be.

_**Ok, another chapter done, I don't think there was much that needed to be edited :)**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	11. Ryans Here

Troyella

**Chapter 11: Ryan's Here [Edited]**

Troy, Gabriella and the others, were excited for Ryan to be coming today, they couldn't get anything done in the musical without him, even though he didn't have a leading role, he still had a major part to play, and Sharpay thought he would be perfect for the job, so Ms. Darbus made them wait. They didn't mind much.

"So, I told my parents that I was in the school musical" Chad confessed.

"What did they say?" Troy asked

"They didn't believe me, so I had prove it to them"

"What did you do?" Gabriella asked, slowly coming to know what Chad was like.

"Sung and danced to Get'cha head in the Game" he said casually.

"You could've called one of us and got us to tell them" Sharpay said in a 'duh' tone.

Chad's eyes went wide and started bashing his head against Troys locker.

"Dude, you're going to hurt my locker"

"Hey, what about my head?" Chad asked demandingly.

"Dude, you're head can't get more damaged"

"Huh?"

"I rest my case, so Sharpay, when's Ryan coming?" Troy asked

"Yeah, you're always saying he's great for the part, it should be interesting to see" Kelsi said enthusiastically.

"He should be here at 3:15pm" Sharpay told them.

"So when school finishes" Chad said

"Yep" she replied

"Cool" Jason said

Suddenly the bell rang, signalling it was time to start the torture.

"I really don't want to have to see Darbus today" Zeke moaned.

"When have we ever wanted to see her?" Troy asked rhetorically

"Who have you never wanted to see Bolton?" Ms. Darbus asked coming up to them

"Hey, Ms. Darbus, we were talking about having phones going off in the theatre" Troy said, eying the others to jump in at any time.

"It's true" Sharpay spoke "What's the point of being in there if you're just going to be on your phone the whole time, it takes away from the beauty and art" she said.

"Hmm, seems like I finally got through to you" She said, smugly. She then walked off to the classroom they had been heading too.

"How did she fall for that?" Troy questioned.

"Maybe because we just told her exactly what she's wanted to hear her whole life" Sharpay suggested.

"Who cares why it worked, at least it did " Gabriella stated.

"Very true" Taylor smiled

They continued talking until they got to tutor; once they walked in they took their respective seats.

"Now, pay attention" she said trying to get her class to focus.

After about five minutes they all went silent.

"Thank you, now next week you all have exams" they groaned "So, this week, you will be scattered around the school into groups of eight" She said

"Can we pick the groups" a random girl asked

"The school finds you work well in friendship groups, so yes" she unwillingly said "_BUT_, only from this group, so pick who you're working with"

Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Zeke, Kelsi and Jason all got into a group automatically.

"What about Ryan when he gets here?" Taylor asked

"He hasn't decided whether he's coming to East High fully yet, he should decide soon though" Sharpay told them

"Now, there are three groups of eight in here, so, Banes, your group is group one, Hart, your group will be group two and Bolton yours group three. Now, unfortunately due to limited spaces we only have places for groups one and two to go to. So Bolton you and your friends are on your own.

"Where shall we go?" Taylor asked them.

"I think I know a place, that's if Gabriella doesn't mind me showing you" Troy told them.

"I don't mind, it's obviously up to you though, but it's a good place to study and not be disturbed"

"Exactly" he said, smiling at his girlfriend "You heard her, what do you think?" He asked them

"Lead the way, captain" Chad said

"Alright"

Two minutes later they were at Troys secret spot.

"How come you never told us about this place?" Zeke asked once they were settled down.

"Don't really know, I guess I just needed somewhere to go sometimes without anyone knowing where I was" he told them.

"Well, that's reasonable" Sharpay said, knowing that people needed space sometimes.

"OK, what do we have to study?" Jason asked, they all turned to him with surprised looks upon their faces. "I want to pass" he told them, as if it were obvious. They nodded their heads making sounds of agreement.

"Well, theirs Maths, English, Science, History, Geography, Philosophy and RE" Gabriella explained.

"That's a lot" Zeke worried

"Well we have the week and the weekend, so if we do Maths today, English tomorrow, Science Wednesday, History Thursday, Ethics/RE Friday and Geography Saturday" Taylor suggested

"Why would we do Ethics and RE at the same time?" Kelsi questioned

"Because you can relate Ethics more easily to religion as they have core beliefs and values which may be different from one another, so it's easier to relate the two." Troy told them while setting Maths books out.

They all turned to him

"Dude, how did you know that?" Chad asked

"Because we learn it" he told him.

"Whatever, let's get maths over and done with, shall we?" Taylor said

They agreed

During lunch, they decided Chad and Sharpay go down to the canteen and get some stuff for them all to eat, they decided it would be easier to spend their lunch break in Troys 'secret place'.

"Oh, do we have practice after school today?" Zeke asked

"Yeah, our match against North High is tomorrow, so we have to be there" Troy told them.

"So, who are we going to be playing against this season?" Jason asked

"Well, we beat South High, tomorrow North, then Highland High School, Horizonte High School then West High" Troy told them

"Wow, so you have to play all of them?" Gabriella asked

"Well, depending whether we win or lose each game" Jason told her

"What's the closest you've ever come?" she asked

"Well, since we've been here, we haven't lost one game against anyone" Chad said

"Seriously?" she asked

"Yeah, we're good at it, we change our tactics and we work as a team, something the other teams can't work out or do themselves" Troy said

"What makes you think they can't work as a team?" Sharpay asked, now interested.

"Well, they're always yelling at each other, and always blame someone if they lose; this is mainly West High though" Zeke answered.

"Oh"

They decided they should probably study a little more instead of talking about basketball, though it was more appealing, surprisingly to everyone, they knew it was a bad idea.

"OK, I can actually feel my brain going numb" Zeke said banging his head against the book after about an hour of studying.

"Its torture, can we stop?" Kelsi pleaded.

"YES!" They all said in union.

"Remember, we're staying after school today, and Ryan's coming" Taylor reminded them

"I don't think I can read anymore, my brain has switched off, and I'm not planning on turning it on again anytime soon" Troy said

"I agree with Troy, I'm actually surprised I can even speak properly" Gabriella stated cuddling up to said boyfriend.

"So, it's agreed, no more work for the rest of the day?" Chad asked hopefully.

"AGREED!" They all said

They sat in the spot talking until the bell went, signalling it was time for tutor, but Ms. Darbus wanted them to go straight to the hall.

They had been in the hall chatting for about half an hour while Ms. Darbus was going stir crazy around them.

"Where is your brother Sharpay?" Ms. Darbus shrieked

"I don't know, he'll probably be here soon" she replied

"He'd better be, we need him, who else are we going to get the part" she said dramatically. All of a sudden the doors of the hall flew open

"HAVE NO FEAR, RYAN IS HERE, and he's going to help you with the musical"

"RYAN!" Sharpay screeched running up to him

"Good to see you sis" he said hugging her "Now introduce me to everyone"

"OK, Ryan these are Troy and his girlfriend Gabriella, Chad and his girlfriend Taylor, Jason and his girlfriend Kelsi and Zeke, my boyfriend" she told him, smiling as she mentioned everyone. "And up on the stage is our our tutor and theatre director Ms. Darbus"

"Hey Ryan" they all said, shaking his hand.

"Mr. Evans" Ms. Darbus nodded politely, wanting to get started but knew well enough that they'd need a few moments to get comfortable with each other as they had only just met.

"Oh, wait, sorry Ryan, what about basketball practice?" Chad asked

"We go after this" Troy told them.

"So you've told your dad you're in a musical" Chad asked

"No, just told him it would be easier for us four, and not to ask questions" he replied

They nodded, knowing Troys parents respected things like that.

"NOW, WE REHEARSE" their teacher suddenly yelled.

They were rehearsing for around two hours, then the four guys went and did there basketball practice for another hour, the girls, aside from Gabriella went home.

"Hey, how come you didn't get a ride with one of the girls?" Troy asked

"Wanted to be with you, if that's OK?" she asked realizing she hadn't asked for a lift or anything.

"Of course, just thought you might have wanted to be home sooner" he said

"Eh, I'm fine" she told him.

He smiled and they made their way to the car. "So, have you told your mum about the musical?" Troy asked while they were driving to their homes.

"Not yet, I'm just wondering what she'll think, I've never gone up for anything like it before" she confessed.

"Me neither, I'm also wondering how my parents will react" he reassured her.

"Would I sound completely pathetic if I asked if we could both tell our parents together, like casually if you guys are over one night or the other way around?" she asked stuttering a little.

"You would not sound pathetic" he assured her "And it sounds like a great idea" he smiled.

"Thanks" she smiled back

Soon they were back in their own homes, thinking on what their parents reaction will be to them being in a musical, how the musical will turn out, and thinking how much their lives have changed since they met each other, in a good way, they couldn't wait for the next crazy thing that would make their lives even better, they knew they would be able to do it, as long as they had each other

_**I've come to realise I seem to like their little reflection period at the end.**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	12. Science and Interuptions

Troyella

**Chapter 12: Science and Interuptions [Edited]**

_[Just so you know I won't do all of them, just a few]_

"How are we supposed to memorize all of this?" Chad asked nervously.

"I knew there would be a lot to study for, but this is going over the limit" Taylor confessed.

"I think we can all agree on that" Troy said

They were currently in Troys _'secret' _place, looking at all of the stuff that Taylor and Gabriella's science teacher had given them to help them revise.

"We can't do it all, it's too much" Kelsi admitted.

"If only we could get a look at what type of questions they would be asking us, it would be a lot easier" Troy sighed. Chad started smiling suggestively. "No!" Troy said simply

"What?" Chad asked still smiling.

"I know what you're thinking Chad, and we will end up in detention, or kicked off the basketball team or worse" Troy told him.

"What does he want to do?" Gabriella asked

"What I said, only I didn't actually mean it" Troy said

They looked at him

"OK, yes it's tempting, but

(a) Where would we even start looking?

(b) There are cameras in places we can't even see,

(c) What would happen if we were to get caught?" Troy stated his argument

"But Troy, you know this school like the back of your hand, you know where all the cameras are, you know where all the teachers would be looking out in, and you do know where they would keep them" Sharpay stated, wondering if this idea could work, it had potential after all.

"Can somebody back me up here" Troy begged

"Guys, you know he's right" Gabriella defended him.

"Thank you" Troy sounded relieved that someone still had their senses in them.

"I say we go for a vote, if the outcome goes to Troy and Gabriella's side then we don't, if it doesn't, then we all help to form a plan and put it into action" Sharpay suggested

"You're not serious" Troy said shocked

"Yep, so all for revising blindly say _'I'_"

"I" Troy said instantly, with a sense of urgency

"I" Gabriella said after him, with the same sense of urgency

"I" Kelsi said shyly, not wanting to upset anyone, but also not wanting to go through with Chad and Sharpays idea.

"All those who want to know what we have to study for say _'I'_"

"I" Sharpay said instantly after she said it.

"I" Chad said immediately after her.

"I" Taylor sighed, all looked shocked

"What about you two" Sharpay asked damningly

Zeke sighed "I'm with Sharpay" he said

"Jason?" Sharpay asked hopeful.

He looked between his girlfriend and the others, Kelsi gave him a look saying _'It's up to you'_ knowing he couldn't choose because of her decision.

He sighed "Sorry Troy"

Gabriella and Troy weren't really that shocked they had been expecting it really.

"Now to form a plan, and sorry Troy but you're going to be major in helping us" Sharpay said giving him a sympathetic look, only really realizing he could get kicked off the team if they were caught.

Troy looked at Gabriella; she gave him a look saying _'democracy rules'_ although not too happy about it.

He sighed "OK, the teachers are usually..." he went into detail explaining where anything or anyone could be around the school, which could potentially get them into trouble.

"So we all know the plan?" Troy asked nervously, aiming it mainly toward Chad, knowing what he's like.

"Yeah" They all said, all their voices showing nerves.

"OK, me, Sharpay and Gabriella stick together, Chad, Zeke and Taylor stick together Kelsi and Jason wait up here and look at this screen, if anyone comes anywhere near one of us use these to warn us" Troy reminded them, indicating towards the walkie talkies, Chad kept them in his locker.

When the science club had made the little area they installed a video monitor with cameras to see if anyone would be coming their way to block anyone out, of course they weren't up there when Troy found it but gave it to him to look after once they had no more use for it.

"And it's lunch, so teachers and student will be in the canteen" Taylor said

"So you three go to the canteen and get eight lots off meals so people won't get suspicious, while we go ahead with the other plan" Sharpay said

"Let's go" Gabriella said, wanting to get it over and done with.

The six went down together, making sure that they couldn't hear anyone before they went out, luckily the camera opposite won't find this suspicious, because Troy is constantly going in and out of there and they had done the same thing yesterday. They went off pretending to be laughing about something, walking towards the canteen, then once they were out of view, they split.

Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay headed towards the principal's office.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Come in" he yelled from behind the door.

"Mr Bolton, Miss Montez, Miss Evans, what may I do for you?" he asked

"Well sir, we were thinking, of maybe having a day at East High where we could put on a talent show kind of thing" Sharpay acted really excited.

"Well, I don't know"

"Well, it would raise the school's reputation, and it would be a good laugh, everyone sharing their talents and teachers can sign up too of course" Troy said, moving making sure he couldn't see Sharpay, and the camera couldn't.

"Well, the preparations for it, and dates, we have basketball matches, Scholastic Decathlon tournaments and the musical as well" he sighed, nearly looking over in Sharpays direction.

"We could organize it" Gabriella said stepping in so he could focus on her instead of her friend.

"Yeah, getting people to sign up, dates everything" Troy said hopeful, glancing at Sharpay, he quietly closed the filing draws, putting a file into her hands, and quietly but quickly put it into her bag.

"Come back at the end of the day, after musical rehearsal, after basketball and after the decathlon meeting, and bring at least seven other people along with you and we'll see OK?" he asked

"Yeah that would be great, it was just an idea you know" Sharpay said, making herself heard before they left.

"Well it's a very good idea, and I will take it into great consideration" he told them.

"Thanks sir" they said before leaving.

They walked to Troys locker, which is where they were all supposed to meet.

"OK, we had a close call in there, and now we can put it back when we go back in" Troy said releasing a breath he didn't know he had.

"What if we get caught?" Gabriella asked nervously "Getting it out is one thing, putting it back is another matter entirely"

"Well there will be definitely five of us to distract him, but what about the other two, if we go back with only five then he might get suspicious in why we didn't when we tried so hard convincing him" Troy looked at the two girls.

"Well there will be Ryan" Sharpay said "So that makes six" she went on.

"Didn't you say he had a girlfriend?" Gabriella asked, trying to remember.

"YES!" She yelled, making Gabriella and Troy cover their ears.

"Wow, you have got to stop doing that" Troy said uncovering his ears carefully, as if testing to see if they still worked.

"Sorry, but your girlfriend is amazing" she said jumping up and down.

"Don't have to tell me that" he said.

Gabriella blushed a little.

"Hey guys, did you get it?" Chad asked walking over with food in his hands.

"Yeah, we had a bit of a close call, but it's all good" Troy told him as they shared out what the other three had gotten from the canteen.

Troy's phone suddenly chimed, as he got his phone from his pocket he saw Kelsi had texted him.

_"I know it's hidden and everything, but Collin Banes is headed your way"_ he read aloud.

They all groaned "We should have people stationed up there to avoid him anyway" Troy stated

They all laughed at this, silently agreeing with the comment.

Suddenly they heard loud, arrogant footsteps from around the corner, from what sounded like many people all laughing boisterously.

"We won't be able to make it in there in time, and he'll be suspicious of why we're here and why we're here with food" Taylor said

All the time the footsteps were getting closer.

"In here" Troy said, leading them to the utility room.

They all managed to get in, Troy quickly shut the door just as he came round the corner, and they could now hear he's in the hallway with friends.

"So, does anyone know where _Bolton_ and his friends are studying" he asked his rugby teammates.

"Sorry, can't say that we do, probably hiding so they don't have to do any work" one of them said, sucking up to him.

"Probably, but we don't have any proof to rat them out, I have no clue what that Gabriella girl sees in him, she should be with me of course" Collin boasted.

Now it was Gabriella's turn to be disgusted, they all had to muffle their laughs at Gabriella's gagging.

"Do you hear something?" one of the players asked.

Everyone stayed silent.

"I think you may be hearing things" Collin laughed

They heard them walk away; they came out of their hiding places and let out a breath when they saw he was gone.

"Someone take me to the medical room because I think I may be sick, just on the image of him thinking of us being together" Gabriella said, which followed with another heaving motion and leaning into Troy.

Troy on the other hand was tempted to go after Banes and and show him what would happen if he got between him and Gabriella, when he noticed her leaning into him he pulled her into a hug and held tightly.

"Don't you worry, we would never let him get his slimy paws on you" Sharpay promised

"And don't think you'll even see him, because between us and Troy, it'll be like you don't even go to the same school" Chad stated

"Thanks guys" she said sounding relieved, even though she wanted to have a laugh with it, something told her that Collin Banes wasn't going to quit that easily.

"Come on, let's go" Troy said, sensing Gabriella's unease, she smiled gratefully at him.

They were, again confronted by the camera, Troy looked both ways, as usual, and everyone went through as he held the door open for them.

"Well, what happened?" Kelsi asked eagerly, she and Jason may have had visual however, they weren't privilege to sound.

Troy, Sharpay and Gabriella launched into the story from when they parted with Chad, Taylor and Zeke, to now, Taylor, Chad and Zeke hadn't heard the story yet, so were as equally on the edge of their seats as they told them what went on in the Principal's office.

"Wow, looks like you guys had a close call in there, and I can't believe someone can be so big headed" Kelsi said angrily.

"Yeah, oh and when we were in the canteen, your Dad said you should go down tomorrow with someone and get lunch, and Durbus said that because we know all the dances and songs, we can have the rest of the week off, but she didn't say it in front of your Dad" Chad quickly added.

"OK cool" Troy said

"Yeah, we would have gotten to the lockers sooner if it wasn't for that" Taylor told them

"No problem, now, before we launch into revising, how are we going to get this back into the filing draws?" Sharpay asked

"Well, there will be ten of us in there; we have to be able to use that to our advantage" Kelsi said

"Well, maybe we should discuss it after, otherwise we went through all of this for nothing" Taylor said, contradicting her earlier statement.

"OK, so it's on, Health, Human Body and Radiation" Gabriella read out.

"Now, are we sure that this is the right one?" Taylor asked

"Yeah, positive, I got the file one saying 'Examination for 2007, Mock 2008, see" Sharpay pointed to the dates.

"So, health and radiation will be pretty easy, but learning 206 bones and stuff is not going to be difficult" Troy stated.

"Did you just say health and radiation would be easy?" Chad asked surprised

"Yes I did, now how are we going to revise the human body?" he asked

They sat their thinking for about two or three minutes.

"How about we put it into a song and dance" Troy suggested

"OK, Kelsi, do you think you could do that?" Sharpay asked

"Yeah, but I'm going to need some help" Kelsi said

"I'll help if you want" Troy stepped in after a minute of silence

"Thanks" she smiled, gratefully.

"While you guys are doing that, what do we do?" Chad asked

"Everyone quiz everyone on the other two topics" Troy told them

"OK" so that's what happened, until about twenty minutes later when Troy and Kelsi finally came up with a song.

"What do you think about this?" Troy asked and he and Kelsi sang.

_Everybody knows the bones,  
Just had to find a way  
Everybody know what I'm talking 'bout,  
That's how I'll get an A_

_My body's many parts And this is where it starts phalanges I have ten,  
And Metatarsals then I got some tarsals too,  
I'll put them in my shoes _

_The Fibula is next,  
According to my text  
Then comes the tibia,  
That ain't no fibia  
And now I'm up to my knee Yeah, Yeah, Yeah  
That's the patella to me_

_We're doin' the bone dance  
We study the answers  
Again and again till I get it right  
We're doing the bone dance  
Ya dance and you'll learn it  
And we won't mess up this test  
We'll get it perfect_

_And now I take it home,  
with the Partial bone It might be crazy,  
But we learn that way  
Temporal and Frontal too  
And now we're finally through That makes two hundred and six  
I found a way that clicks_

_Bone thugs in the house_

_We're doin' the bone dance  
Ya study the answers,  
Again, and again till I get it right  
We're doin' the bone dance  
Ya dance and you'll learn it  
And we won't mess up this test  
We'll get it perfect_

When they were done their friends started cheering and clapping them.

"We are so going to remember that" Sharpay said enthusiastic about learning it.

"Good" Troy said happily

"Well what are we waiting for?" Chad asked

For the rest of the time, they learnt the song and dance until they could answer each question correctly.

After School

"So, will you help us? Sharpay asked Ryan, they had just finished explaining the plan, leaving out the bit about the sneaking the file back into the filing cabinet.

"Yeah sure, sounds like fun" Ryan replied happily.

"Awesome, thanks Ryan" Taylor thanked him.

"No problem, let's go" Ryan said

They got to the Principal's office and knocked on the door

"Come in" he called from inside

"Hey sir, now there are only 9 of us at the moment, but Ryan's girlfriend has agreed to do it and I think I know a few more people who might be interested" Troy explained getting straight to the point, making sure he was standing the opposite direction from Sharpay who was putting it back, Ryan was confused about what his sister was doing but didn't want to get her into trouble.

"Well I've decided that I think it is a good idea, you guys will have to be in charge of everything though, sorry but I'm really busy." He told them

"That's fine sir, thank you" Sharpay said once she finished.

"You're welcome, just keep me up to date with everything, now I'm sure you don't want to be stuck here talking to me all evening, so I'll see you tomorrow" He told them, they laughed a little, said good-bye and left.

"That was easy, now all we have to do is do everything" Sharpay said sarcastically enthusiastic.

"It'll be fine, we'll get through it" Gabriella said, trying to stay positive.

"Yeah yeah, miss optimistic" Sharpay muttered to herself, but Troy heard.

"And what's wrong with that?" he asked smiling; knowing he'd caught her out.

"Err...well...I...Whoa look at the time, me, Ryan and Zeke need to go now, see you guys tomorrow" She waved running, or shuffling, in her high heels.

They laughed.

"We'll see you guys later" Zeke said, he and Ryan ran off to catch up with Sharpay, which was pretty easy as she hadn't gotten too far.

"See you" They called back.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow too" Taylor, Chad, Jason and Kelsi said. So once again Troy and Gabriella were left alone

"One day, I think we should leave them behind for once" Troy stated looking around.

Gabriella laughed

"I don't think that's such a bad idea" She agreed, smiling and giggling a bit.

"What's so funny?" he asked confused, walking out of East High.

"Nothing, I just can't wait for our date" She told him

"Hey, you know the week after exams we have half term" He asked rhetorically

"Yeah" she answered wondering where this was going, while getting into the car.

"Well, I have to go round my Grandma and Grandads place for a few days for like a family get-together, and I asked my parents, and was wondering if you would like to come?" he asked.

"I'd love to, as long as I'm not intruding or anything" she told him

"That could never happen, do you know why?" he asked

"Why?" she asked

"Well, the only way you could be intruding is if I didn't want to see you, and that could never happen" she blushed a bit.

"Really?" she asked

"Really, if it was possible I'd be with you forever" he told her.

"Well forever a long time, Troy" she said playfully.

"As long as I'm with you, forever will never be enough" he whispered in her ear once he was parked outside his house.

She smiled and they looked into each other's eyes, they lent forward, their lips were almost touching...

"Troy, Gabriella, why are you in the car? Come on" their parents called from Troys house not realising what they had interrupted.

They pulled back and sighed

"I guess we should go in" Gabriella said starting to open the door.

Troy cleared his throat suddenly, hoping the action would help clear his mind as well "Yeah, we probably should"

As they walked up the stairs Jack, Lucille and Ava greeted their children "Hello, how was school?"

"Fine, thanks" Troy replied, trying not to show how annoyed his was with his parents bad timing.

"OK, and Gabriella" Ava asked her daughter and Jack and Lucille eyed their son suspiciously.

"Same as usual" she replied, smiling briefly before Troy took her hand leading her inside.

"Do you think they're OK?" Ava asked the other two parents.

"Teenagers, they'll be fine by the end of the day" Jack told them "Trust me, you see it all the time with High School students"

Lucille and Ava decided to take his word for it, though they were slightly worried, they seemed to be OK.

"Do you think we were too harsh with them?" Gabriella said, warmth spreading over her cheeks as she started talking about their almost-kiss.

"Yeah I suppose, sorry about that" he said, giving her a bottle of water.

Gabriella smiled at the fact he gave her one without her asking for it. "It's not your fault; they just caught us off guard"

Troy grinned "Exactly"

"So, do you want to do anything in particular?" Gabriella asked.

"Do you want to watch a film?"

"Yeah, I'm up for that"

"Good, go pick"

"Troy" she warned

"Gabriella" he mimicked

"Why can't you choose?"

"Because I can watch these films anytime I please" he informed her, smiling at his own logic.

Gabriella rolled her eyes "Fine, I'll choose" she said, walking into the living room as Troy followed.

"Chosen yet?" Troy asked after a few minutes.

"You have so many" she said as if in deep concentration. Troy conceded to this point, they did have a large collection. "OK, what about this?" she asked, giving him the DVD.

"Men in Black?" he asked

Gabriella nodded, enthusiastically.

"Alright then, get comfy" he smiled as he saw her grin.

Troy and Gabriella talked a lot throughout the film, watching it of course, getting more excited as it came towards the final meeting.

"I haven't seen this film in years!" Gabriella exclaimed as she saw 'K' get eaten whole by the huge cockroach.

Troy laughed "Me either, I'm not sure why though 'cause it's an excellent film"

"Couldn't agree with you more"

"I like this" Troy said suddenly.

Gabriella turned to get a better look at him "The film, yes we've just established that" Gabriella shrieked suddenly as Troys fingers immediately dug into her sides as revenge for the comment. "OK, OK, I get it, please explain" she said, trying to calm her laughter down.

"I like this, sitting her, being with you"

Gabriella smiled "We're just watching TV"

"I know, and yet I'm having so much fun it's incredible, you're incredible"

She blushed, slightly "I know what you mean, no matter what we're doing I always have such a good time with you" she said snuggling closer, looking up to find him looking right back.

As Troy looked down at her he found he couldn't think of anything else to say, he was mesmerised, he bent his head lower as she moved hers up, their lips were millimetres apart from each other when they both heard '_**Crunch'**__ "Oh I'm sorry, was that your Auntie?"_ came the voice on Will Smith on screen.

Both Troy and Gabriella grinned and started laughing, leaning the tops of their heads on one another's. "OK, so once again, not the best timing"

Gabriella giggled "Apparently not"

They separated once again, diverting their attention back to the film.

Just after the film had finished their parents called their children, telling them dinner was ready, both of them commenting how that was good timing. Dinner was casual; Ava and Lucille were checking to see if their son and daughter were OK, both of them said they were fine, internally smirking at their reactions. Tami, Troy's little sister, wasn't there as she was round a friends for dinner.

After dessert Troy and Gabriella decided to go in the back garden and rested on the bench where they had fallen asleep a few nights before.

"Today's been fun, aside from the whole cheating thing" Gabriella said, frowning as she remembered the incident.

"I can't believe we did it either"

"I can't believe we got away with it" Gabriella said, softly both relieved and guiltily.

"It won't happen again, it can't, they know the risks now"

"How come you played along before?"

"Why did you?" Troy asked, teasingly but genuinely curious.

Gabriella shrugged "Under normal circumstances I never ever would but they're our friends, I'd do anything for them" she said, as she came to terms with this she smiled "I assume that's why you went along with it too?"

Troy nodded "They're like an extended family, I'm not condoning cheating or anything like that, it's wrong and you shouldn't do it, that's that"

"This day is going to haunt you for a while isn't it?"

Troy shrugged "What about you?"

"Probably"

"Well then maybe we should give it a happy ending"

Before Gabriella could ask how she felt her head being lifted and in an instant she felt a pair of soft lips caressing her own.

Tami, who had just got back from her boyfriends, though her parents nor Troy knew she was dating, they just thought she was seeing friends all the time, was about to say hi to the pair before seeing the intimate moment, smiling softly she walked back inside, giving the couple some well deserved privacy.

Gently pulling apart from one another, Troy looked at Gabriella awaiting her reaction.

Gabriella smiled; looking up at Troy "Wow" was all she could say.

Troy grinned at this and pulled Gabriella into him, keeping her warm and close to him. Gabriella smiled at this and went willingly, happy and content.

_**OK, so I completely changed everything with the ending of this chapter, but I think I like this best :)**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	13. Revision and Family

Troyella

**Chapter 13: Revision and Family [Edited]**

"We are not doing what we did yesterday, final" Troy stated as soon as they got up to the _'secret'_ place.

"I agree" Sharpay stated "I thought about it last night. It's way too risky to try again. If we get caught we're done for"

"Let's just get on with this" Taylor said, wanting to forget about the whole thing.

"Hey, you guys were the ones who wanted to do it" Kelsi said, sensing Taylor's attitude. They all looked at Kelsi in shock. "Well it's true" she said, uncomfortable, looking at every ones faces.

They nodded and made sounds of agreement. She, Troy and Gabriella had been against the whole thing, if anything they should be the ones complaining.

"So, History" Zeke said, wanting to change the subject, as he did they all started to get books out started to read over various facts.

Once they had revised for half an hour they decided to take a break from reading and quiz each other on what they'd learnt.

"Who was Rosa Parks" Taylor asked the group.

"She was _the_ main factor in the Bus Boycott, she sat at the front of the bus and got put in prison for it" Gabriella answered "Name at least two things Galen got wrong"

"He said that the human jaw had two bones, he said one kidney was above the other" Troy answered "Who specialised in the circulation of blood?" he asked

"William Harvey" Chad answered

The rest of the hour continued like that, asking questions back and forth, trying to retain their knowledge.

"No more revision! We'll do Geography and Ethics after we've done the tests for the others" Chad told them, he had a voice where you knew you couldn't disagree.

Everyone agreed to this, knowing they needed to revise but figuring it could be better closer to the time.

"Good, now what are we going to do this weekend?" he asked

"Well on Sunday me and Gabriella have a date" Troy said, making sure they knew so they wouldn't be roped into anything.

"Okay, what time?" he asked

"7ish?" he looked for Gabriella's approval.

"Perfect" she agreed

"Well, we'll just see how the day turns out" Chad said.

"Ok, fine by me" Gabriella smiled.

The day passed rather uneventfully, they didn't revise afterwards; they just sat up in the rooftop garden taking amongst themselves, passing the time.

During the car ride home Troy and Gabriella talked about whatever they could think of.

"I'm glad you were right"

"About what?" Troy asked

"About them not wanting to do what we did yesterday again"

"Ah, that. I'm glad too, they just needed a day to realise the risks instead of jumping in headfirst"

"Everything's back to normal" Gabriella smiled "Besides yesterday wasn't all bad" she said softly, in a dream-like state, not realising they had stopped outside their house.

"Mm, I agree" he smiled, looking at her. Gabriella blushed; Troy smiled and leant over to kiss her on the cheek when she turned her head towards him so he caught her lips. They stayed like that for a moment longer before pulling apart. "OK, not exactly what I was going for but I'm not complaining"

Gabriella giggled her agreement as they both got out of the car and walked into Troy's.

"Hey guys, how was school?" Their parents asked when they got to Troys house; Ava was currently around as well. Their parents had gotten pretty close now, so they got to spend more time with each other, which they felt was nothing to complain about.

"It was okay, Chad hates all this revision" Troy told them getting some water for himself and Gabriella from the fridge.

"Well, I'm not surprised, where are you studying? I haven't seen you anywhere" Troys dad asked.

"Somewhere only we know, Dad." Troy said

"I asked you where you were studying, not to quote song lyrics" he joked

"I'm being serious" he said causing all three parents to look up at him.

"So you found a secret place in the school?" he asked.

Troy nodded while sipping his water.

"Where?" Lucille asked

"Secret" he said simply, smirking.

"How did you find it?" Ava asked

"Running away from cheerleaders one day" he said casually.

"You make it sound normal" she laughed

"Well unfortunately it was, until Gabriella came along I couldn't even talk to him without girls trying to get his attention, all too dumb enough not to notice his eyes rolling every five seconds" Mr Bolton told her.

"I suppose you didn't like it" she directed at Troy.

"I hated it, I'd have to go to that place five or six times a day, just to make sure they couldn't get near me" he told her with a _'I seriously wanted to kill them'_ look.

"Unlucky, but at least you had your friends to back you up, right?" she asked reassuringly.

"Chad, Zeke, Jason, Sharpay, Taylor and Kelsi you mean? Then yes they did, especially Chad and Sharpay, there hilarious as a pair" he laughed just thinking about them.

"What did they do?" Gabriella asked, curiously.

"What haven't they done?" Jack corrected

"Well there were the simple things like

"Telling them to go away"

"_Troy!" A blonde haired girl ran up to him, Troy on the other hand kept walking pretending not to hear her. The blonde either didn't know or she didn't care, instead she ran around him and stood there so he'd have no choice but to talk to her._

"_Hi Katelyn" Troy greeted, cursing the cheerleaders for getting brain cells._

"_Hi Troy, how was your weekend?" she asked, twirling her hair, smiling quite scarily._

"_It was fine, thanks" he said, trying to walk passed her._

"_That's good, mine was amazing, thanks for asking" What scared Troy most was that she sounded sincere and wondered if this girl was hallucinating. "So Troy-" Before she got any further she was cut off._

"_Katelyn, can't you see where you're not wanted?" Sharpay asked, walking down._

"_What do you want, Evans?" _

"_Quite simple actually" Chad replied "To leave" he told her simply._

_Katelyn looked offended by this, she had no comeback so huffed and stomped off._

"_Yeah, that's what I thought" Sharpay smirked._

"When that didn't work they came dressed all in black and decided to be my body guards for a week."

_Troy was at his locker getting the books he would need for the next periods out. As he turned he dropped every one of them, slamming back into the lockers in fright as two of his best friends were right in front of him, in all black and sunglasses._

"_What are you guys doing?" he asked, completely taken aback, gathering his books._

"_Well, seeing as cheerleaders can't seem to stay away from you and you hate the cheerleaders, we're your new bodyguards" Chad told him._

"_Bodyguards?" Troy asked_

"_Yep, we'll be with you the whole time, until the effect wears off" Sharpay told him._

_Troy, still not knowing what to say just nodded and walked off at his friends' insanity._

"_Troy!" he heard shrieking._

_Troy groaned and in an instant had Chad and Sharpay in front of him._

"_Do you have an appointment?" Sharpay asked_

"_What do you think you're doing, Evans?" a new one, Ashley asked _

"_You can't see Mr. Bolton without an appointment, Miss. Brookes" Chad told her._

"_And what are you going to do?" She asked_

_Troy at this point was trying and failing to stifle his fits of laughter at the pair._

_Sharpay took her glasses off "Could you hold these for me Mr. Danforth?" she asked_

"_Certainly, Miss. Evans"_

_Before Sharpay could take a step Ashley Brookes was out of sight._

"That only worked for so long, they came to realized that Sharpay really didn't want to get expelled and Ms. Darbus was getting infuriated that every time she would try and yell at me they stepped in. So, when that stopped working they told everyone I was gay"

_Troy walked into school, but he felt like he had walked into a funeral home. He walked up to his friends who were gathered around his locker._

"_What's going on?" Troy asked_

"_Dude, you don't want to know" Zeke said, laughter building in his throat._

"_So, Troy" he heard behind him and saw Rachel Parker in tears. He looked on, confused "Is it true?" _

"_Is what true?" He asked_

"_You know very well, is it true?" she asked_

_Before he could ask again Chad stepped in "Yes, it's true, we've all known for a while, we're so happy for him. As you should be too, Rachel"_

_Rachel, still choked up, nodded "I am, good for you Troy" she told him before running off._

_Troy looked wide-eyed at his friends "What did you do?" he asked, scared_

_Sharpay grinned "We may have sent the entire female student population an e-mail declaring you had come out of the closet" _

"_You mean?" Troy asked_

"_Yep, you're officially gay bro" Chad grinned_

"Told them I was had moved to a different country, I became Joey Lewis for two weeks"

_As Sharpay and Chad walked in girls came rushing up to them expecting Troy to be with them instead they found a new guy._

"_Who's this?" Michelle asked_

"_This is Joey Lewis" Sharpay introduced_

_Joey Lewis nodded, in politeness._

"_Where's Troy?" Michelle huffed, impatiently_

"_Didn't you hear?" Sharpay asked_

"_Hear what?" _

"_Troy moved to a different country. He's gone, Michelle" Chad told her._

_Michelle's eyes widened before running off._

"_How long do you think we can keep this up for?" Troy/Joey asked_

"_As long as we can" Sharpay told him._

_It was the middle of the day and Troy hadn't been bothered once by cheerleaders in two weeks. As far as they knew Troy Bolton had moved out of the country, Joey Lewis was nothing to them. Still, it amazed him how so many cheerleaders claimed they were keeping in contact with him._

"_Hey Joey"_

_Troy froze, he knew that sound anywhere 'Cheerleader!' he thought._

"_Hi, um I'm sorry I don't believe we've met" Joey said, politely. Troy knowing this would tick her off._

"_Michelle" She replied, shortly._

_He nodded. "Can I help you?" he asked_

"_You look really familiar" she told him._

"_I guess I have that kind of face" he said, turning back round._

"_That used to be Troys locker" she sighed, dreamily._

"_Oh yeah, who's Troy?" he asked_

"_He was Captain of the basketball team here. He sat where you sit." she told him._

"_Yeah, I guess they gave me his old things as he doesn't need them anymore" he said, not wanting her to click on._

_Troy went to move away but was stopped._

"_You know" she carried on "He left right when you started" she told him._

_Troy sighed 'The jig is up' he thought, the thoughts were confirmed when he heard her squeal erupt behind him._

"_TROY!"_

"They have dropped buckets of milk/liquidised food/non-liquidised foods on them"

_Chad and Sharpay were currently at school on the second floor looking down at the students, who had no idea they were up there. They both had buckets of liquids and they were waiting for the cheerleaders to pass as they did every Thursday in their uniform._

"_They should be coming any minute now" Chad told them. _

_Troy was right in front of the by his locker, he could've had a perfect view, if he were paying any attention. Instead he was reading through his Science text book, revising the information he would need next lesson._

"_Troy!" the head cheerleader, Lindsey Lopez, called, waving casually. Troy nodded, and went back to his book. All the cheerleaders headed straight for him._

"_Ready?" Sharpay asked_

"_On three" Chad nodded_

"_One ... two ... THREE!"_

_Troy heard screeching and screaming. Looking up from his book his eyes bugged out of their sockets, the girls were soaked and looked like they had been through a food liquidiser. Troy looked around for the source, looking up he saw Chad and Sharpay waving, they ducked. He saw why when he found Ms. Darbus heading down._

"_Who did this?" She asked, sternly._

_Everyone stayed silent, sincerely not knowing._

"_Bolton, do you know who did this?" she asked_

"_Sorry Ms. Darbus, I can't say that I do"_

6) Told them I was a figment of their imagination

7) Told them I was dead..."

"Okay I think we get it" Gabriella said giggling.

"Oh you haven't heard half of it" Jack assured her.

"Wow" Ava breathed "And you put up with all of this stuff?" she asked Troy

"It never made my life boring" he shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you remember when they challenged them to a football match?" Jack asked _*soccer*_

"Yep, it was raining, and they wouldn't even touch the ball, not even a tiny bit" he laughed.

"Easiest win ever if you ask me" Jack said

"What was the score?" Ava asked

"They lost count, definitely something - nil" Troy laughed again

"Whoa" Gabriella said shocked.

"Yep"

They discussed the school and everything, Gabriella and Ava decided to stay for dinner. Tami was once again at her boyfriend's house, wondering when would be the right time to tell them, she loved her parents and her brother but she didn't know how they would react to finding out. Troy had two other siblings, Tori and Terry however; they were older and had moved out already.

"What kind of things did you guys get up to when you were our age?" Troy asked, mainly his parents.

"Nothing, we were absolutely perfect" Mrs Bolton replied

"Yeah, and I'm Mary Poppins" Troy said sarcastically.

"Really?" Mr Bolton joked

Troy threw a bread roll at him, while he wasn't looking and smiled in accomplishment at the look on his Dads face

"Did you just do, what I think you just did?" He asked slowly.

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

Mr Bolton looked at his son, he couldn't tell whether he was messing with him or not.

"You know what you did" he told him, hoping to catch him out.

"I have no clue what you're talking about" Troy said and carried on eating.

"So if it wasn't you, then who was it?" he asked, wanting to get this over with.

"Well maybe if you tell me what happened, then I can help" Troy said looking up at his father, straight in the eyes.

They stayed like that for a few moments when Jack gave up.

"Okay, for sake of my dinner getting cold, you didn't do it" he surrendered

Troy shrugged his shoulders and carried on eating glancing at Gabriella and winked at her playfully disapproving face.

"So, Gabriella and I are in the musical" Troy said casually after the signal from his girlfriend.

Jack choked on his drink at this new revelation while Ava and Lucille were staring at them wide-eyed.

"Wow, what ever happened to, _'That's great, I'm sure you'll be amazing'_" Troy asked in a sarcastic kind of way.

"Sorry, it just shocked us" Lucille told her son and his girlfriend.

"Yeah, it just caught us off guard is all" Ava replied.

"Mmhm, anyway, we have that, and Gabriella has scholastic decathlon, and then I have basketball, and then there's this thing we are organising, it was originally going to be a talent show, but the Principals thinking of changing it into a East High concert, hasn't decided yet though, so you may not see much of us" Troy told them.

"Well, make sure there's no pressure" Lucille told them, that was the number one priority with her children was pressure, if it were up to her Troy and his brother and sisters would never feel it if she could help it, of course she didn't know about all those basketball games.

"Don't worry mum" Troy said

"Yeah, we'll be fine" Gabriella assured her

"Good" She replied with satisfied look

They carried on eating and talking for the rest of the night, just having fun with each other, hoping they would be able to do this a lot more in the future.

_**OK, that's another chapter done. I'm adding some stuff with Tami so things will make more sense later on – pay special attention :)**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	14. MSN

Troyella

_**Wildcat**_ Troy _**Gabriella-Troy-4eva **_Gabriella___BBall Fanatic_Chad **Science Lover** Taylor

_Drama freak _Ryan **Pretty in Pink** Sharpay Baker Boy Zeke Such-A-Romantic - Kelsi

Jay-Jay Jason

**Chapter 14: MSN [Edited]**

Troy stayed up most of the night on msn talking to Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Zeke, Kelsi, Jason and Ryan on about Gabriella's Birthday.

_**"Wildcat: So what are we going to do for Gabriella's birthday?"**_

_"BBall Fanatic: Dude, your girlfriend"_

_**"Wildcat: Yeah but I want it to be special"**_

"Such-A-Romantic: Aww"

"Baker Boy: I'll bake a cake"

_**"Wildcat: Thanks man, her birthdays tomorrow"**_

"Baker Boy: Let's figure out what we're doing, then organise it"

**"Science Lover: Good idea"**

**"Pretty-In-Pink: So, what so you guys think we should do?"**

_**"Wildcat: Well I was thinking, during the day we could have a surprise party for her, then around 8ish I take her out for a meal, then we all meet back at one of our houses for a sleepover, but the question is 'will she like it?'"**_

"Such-A-Romantic: Troy she'll love it, okay now that's settled, how is this going to work?"

_"Drama Freak: Any ideas Troy?"_

_**"Wildcat: Well Zeke said he'd bake a cake (thanks again), I was hoping, maybe to have the sleepover at yours and Sharpays house (it's the biggest), Chad Music, Taylor and Sharpay keep her busy while I set up everything for our date, and Kelsi could you help me with a song? Jason could you help Ryan with getting his and Sharpays house organised for the surprise party, is that okay?"**_

The response to Troys idea was what he'd hoped for, everyone was on board.

_**"Wildcat: I'll take that as a yes"**_ he smiled staring at the computer screen

Gabriella-Troy-4eva has signed in

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Hey guys, what's up?"**_

"Jay-Jay-Jason: Nothing much, pretty bored"

_**"Wildcat: Try very bored"**_

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Aww, so what have you guys been talking about?"**_

Everyone stayed silent.

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Guys?"**_

**"Pretty in Pink: We were talking about the concert thing that we're organising"**

_**"Wildcat: Yeah, we've come up with no ideas so far though"**_

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Oh, well, do we want other people to be in it, or just us?"**_

**"Pretty in Pink: And share the spotlight, I don't think so"**

_"Drama Freak: She's never been good with sharing"_

**"Pretty in Pink: Hey!"**

They all laughed at this.

_"BBall Fanatic: So, I think Sharpay has decided to just us, yes?"_

**"Science Lover: Guess so"**

_"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Songs?"_

"Jay-Jay-Jason: What time is it?"

"Such-A-Romantic: Random, but...Oh my God! It's 11:30pm, sorry guys but I have to go, see you tomorrow"

"Jay-Jay-Jason: I'd better be going too, night guys"

**"Science Lover: Me too, sweet dreams"**

_"BBall Fanatic: Isn't that a song by Marilyn Manson?"_

"All remaining: CHAD!"

"_BBall Fanatic: Well it's true, night guys"_

**"Pretty in Pink: I need my beauty sleep, so I'd better go"**

_"Drama Freak: Which means I do otherwise she'll be complaining about the tapping from the keyboard, night night"_

"Baker Boy: Well, I'd better go, have to get up early, night"

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Hmm, I see what you mean about us being the only ones left, even when we're all in different places"**_

_**"Wildcat: SEE!"**_

Gabriella giggled _**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Yes, yes I do, so what's going on tomorrow?"**_

_**"Wildcat: Well, I'll be making you breakfast, I'll give you your present, and then we'll just see where the day takes us, until around 8ish I'll have a surprise waiting for you"**_

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Aww, you're so sweet, you really didn't have to get me anything though"**_

_**"Wildcat: Yes I did, now if you say that one more time, don't think I won't hesitate to come round there"**_

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: And what will you do?"**_

Troy smirked _**"Wildcat: That's for me to know and for you to HOPEFULLY not find out"**_

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Yaha, whatever you say"**_

_**"Wildcat: Pushing your luck"**_

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Oh I am, am I?"**_

_**"Wildcat: Hell yeah"**_

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Haha!**_

Silence

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Troy?"**_

_**"Gabriella-Troy-4eva: Hello?"**_

"Hi" Troy said from behind her

"What the...Troy, you scared the life out of me!"

"Aww, sorry"

"You will be" she warned

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

She started chasing him around her room, it was quite small so there wasn't much space to run, not much good for Troy, he decided to suddenly stop, he turned round and Gabriella was running toward him at full speed, she ran up to him and jumped on him, he fell back luckily on to the bed.

"Got'cha Bolton"

"Technically I have you Montez"

They smiled and leaned in, the kiss was short and sweet, the savoured every second of it. They stayed like that for a while, content with just being with one another.

Troy suddenly looked at the clock and read the time

"Hey Gabriella?"

"Yeah"

"Happy Birthday"

She looked up at him confused, he nodded his head toward the clock, indicating for her to look at it, and the time read 12:02am. She smiled and looked at Troy

"Well, thank you, are you allowed to be over here"

Troy shrugged "Your mum is in our back garden" he told her.

"Hmm, let's go" she said and jumped up and held her hand out for Troy.

He laughed a bit and took her hand and walked to Troys back garden.

"Hey everyone" Troy said as he and Gabriella walked in hand in hand.

"Aww" the mothers gushed

Troy and Gabriella rolled their eyes at this.

"What are you guys doing over here?" Jack asked

"Well Troy was round ours and after a few minutes he said you guys were over here, so we decided to join you" Gabriella explained

"Why were you over there?" Lucille asked

"To scare the life out of her and to say Happy Birthday" Troy told them

"I'm not even going to ask about the scaring her part, but Happy Birthday Gabriella" Jack wished.

"Thank you" she replied

"Well, I guess it's late, we should get going" Ava said

"Okay, see you" Jack and Lucille said to Ava and Gabriella.

"See you later" Troy told her

"You mean tomorrow" her mind blanked

"No, I mean later" he smiled

"...Oh yeah" she suddenly realized

He laughed a bit "See you later" he gave her a quick kiss before she and Ava headed out.

"See you" they heard Gabriella's voice from her own back garden.

The Bolton's laughed a bit. Troy started to walk in when his mother stopped him.

"Hold it Mister" Lucille said stopping him

"What?" he asked

"You and Gabriella just kissed, when was the first time you kissed exactly?" she asked

"Oh, a few nights ago when they were over for dinner, we were in the back garden" he told her, knowing he'd have to one way or another.

"Aww, that's so sweet" Lucille gushed

"So what are you doing for her birthday?" Jack asked

Troy quickly looked over the fence to make sure she wasn't out there, she had a tendency to over hear things, but he didn't mind that considering she was his girlfriend, but this was a surprise.

Once he was sure she wouldn't hear anything he explained to his parents what he would be doing.

"Aww" Lucille once again gushed

"Well, seems like you've got everything organised" Jack said

"Yep"

"Well, get some sleep, you're going to need some energy for tomorrow"

"Okay, goodnight"

Troy was about to get into bed when he got a text

_Hey, log into MSN, _

_Need to make a song, remember, yes I'll help_

_Kelsi_

Troy smiled at the fact she remembered and quickly got his laptop and signed into MSN

_**"Wildcat: Hey Kels, thanks for this"**_

"Such-A-Romantic: No problem, so let's get started"

They were up until 2 am and had finally finished

"Such-A-Romantic: She'll love it"

_**"Wildcat: You think?" he asked worriedly**_

"Such-A-Romantic: I know, night Troy, I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow"

_**"Wildcat: Thanks Kels, me too, and thanks for everything"**_

"Such-A-Romantic: No problem, night"

_**"Wildcat: night"**_

They signed out and went to sleep

Troy was worried that everything would go horribly wrong, but eventually falling to sleep, knowing he'd have to leave everything to fate, he decided it had been on their side a lot, meeting at the ski lodge, her transferring, her overhearing his rambling, hopefully it would pull through again, if not, he was determined to give her the best birthday she could ask for.

_**Still can't do much editing with this chapter, but I did correct a few errors and added in changes.**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	15. Gabriellas Birthday

Troyella

**Chapter 15: Gabriella's Birthday [Edited]**

Troy woke up around eight o'clock in the morning; he set his alarm to this time which he instantly regretted, before he remembered why, after which he got his phone out and texted Gabriella.

She was also sleeping, and decided that the noise of her phone had become her new enemy.

_Hey beautiful, Happy Birthday!_  
_Are you sleeping in, or do you want to get up?_

_Troy x_

She smiled, she texted him back

_Hey Wildcat,  
Thank you  
And yes I was sleeping before you texted ha-ha!  
So considering you like sleep, (and I want more) we can meet up at ten. Agreed?_

_Gabriella x_

When he got the text he smiled, _'God I love that girl, and she'll know it very soon'_

_Gabriella_

_Aw, sorry I didn't mean to wake you _  
_And yes I do like sleep, but I'd want to see you more _  
_But if you want more sleep, go for it, it's your birthday so you are in total control :D have a nice sleep._

_Troy xx_

She read the text and smiled, _'I love him so much, I really need to tell him'_

_Troy_

_I know you didn't mean to wake me, and you're so sweet, _  
_And I very much like the sound of me being in control, don't worry, _  
_I won't torture you with a shopping spree, see you in two hours _

_Can't wait_

_Gabriella xx_

He smiled and saw from his window she had gone back to sleep and set her alarm for 9:35.

Before either of them knew it, it was ten o'clock and Troy walked to Gabriella's.

"Happy Birthday" Troy said as Gabriella walked into her room, he gave her a quick kiss.

"Hey Troy, thanks" she said

"So, do you want your presents now or later?" he asked her.

"What do you mean present_s_?" she asked

"Well last time I checked when you add an 'S' it becomes plural" she shot him a playful glare. He couldn't help but laugh at this. "OK, I'll give you one now, and the rest scattered out during the day" he told her.

Her eyes went wide "How much did you get me?" she asked

He laughed "Wait and see" he said, she frowned. "Aw, cheer up, it's your birthday" however, she continued to pout.

He smiled and walked slowly towards her, she looked at him with curious eyes, at the same time walking backwards. All of a sudden he went for her and started tickling her sides; she immediately started laughing and couldn't stop.

"TROY!" she screamed through her laughter

"Yes?" he sounded amused and innocent

"OK...I won't po...pout f...f...for the rest...of the day...I promise" she managed to get out through her laughter.

Troy thought about it for a minute, still tickling her, and stopped. It took her a few minutes to calm down, they were both laying on Gabriella's, once she calmed down and got her breathing back to normal she snuggled herself into Troys chest while still smiling.

He looked down at her and chuckled while bringing an arm around her, she smiled when he did this, it made her feel as if he was protecting her, as if to let people know she was his, even if they were the only two in the room.

"So time for your first present" Troy stated. Gabriella sat upright, bouncing on her bed excitedly. He laughed at this. "Your first present, from me, of the day" he told her

She giggled and started to unwrap it. She gasped as she saw what was inside.

It was a silver locket with T&G engraved on the front with tiny purple rhinestones circling the edge.

She opened the locket to find a picture of her and Troy at the Ski Lodge, when they were looking in each other's eyes, with the fireworks going off behind them.

She smiled "How did you get this?" she asked

He smiled "Made friends with one of the guys that works there, he found it on one of the cameras, he phoned asked if I wanted a photo, I asked for two" He told her.

"Turn it over" He told her, she did as she was told, she smiled and read aloud.

_Gabriella, Happy Birthday _

_Hopefully this is one of many birthdays we will spend with each other. _

_You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, _

_And no matter what, I will always be here for you. _

_You are my everything; I can't imagine life without you by my side._

_Troy xx_

"Oh my gosh, those have to be the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me" she told him "Help me put it on?" she asked

He smiled "Sure" He put the necklace on for her

After about ten minutes of lying on Gabriella's bed just relaxing, they decided to have some breakfast.

"What's your favourite breakfast" he asked

"Pancakes" she told him

"Coming right up" he told her.

She giggled "Need any help?" she asked

He smiled "I'm good don't worry, you are not going to lift a finger today, do you understand me?" he said softly but seriously at the same time, he was inches away from her face

"Perfectly" she answered, they lent forward, and their lips met in a sweet kiss.

They pulled back and had matching grins on their faces, Troy went back to cooking, while Gabriella watched, making conversation with him

They ate breakfast making casual talk with each other and Gabriella probing on what the day might bring.

"Hey, what time is it?" Troy asked

"11:10, why?" she asked

"Come on, let's take a walk" he suggested

She smiled at the idea "OK" she agreed

They were in silence as they walked around; they ended up at the park.

"Do you want your second present?" he asked

"OK" she said shyly, she felt like she was being spoiled by him

"Here" he handed it to her softly

She opened it, it was a picture their Jack had taken when he heard them rehearsing Breaking Free  
The frame had tiny red rhinestones around it this time with _'Troy & Gabriella'_ engraved on all four sides.

"I love it, thank you"

"You're welcome"

They walked around a bit more when he felt his phone vibrate, he noticed Gabriella enjoying the view around the park so answered the text.

_Troy_

_Everything is set up and ready to go, _

_Now all is needed is for you guys to get your buts over to Sharpays to get this party started!_

_Chad_

Troy rolled his eyes, typical Chad.

"Hey, come on I have a surprise for you" he told her.

She jumped when she heard his voice, she had been lost in her own thoughts, she smiled and nodded, they made their way back to Troys.

He saw Ava in the window, he nodded to her, making sure she knew everything she needed to do, may have been simple, but timing was crucial, she nodded back in understanding and made her way to her daughters' room.

There was a comfortable silence in the car on the way to Sharpays; though Gabriella didn't know that, she had been blindfolded at the park so didn't see the interaction between Troy and her mum.

"OK, you can't take it off yet, but I'll be leading you, so don't worry"

She smiled and nodded "OK" she replied, this day was getting better and better as it went along, she wasn't going to spoil it.

Troy had hidden presents for her around the house, in places she knew she'd go to.

Troy opened the door and led Gabriella in and mouthed to the gang, while standing behind her and shutting the door.

"OK" he mouthed "1..." He put his hands over the front of the blind fold "2..." he mouthed bringing his fingers under it making sure he didn't scratch her eyes but also so she couldn't see anything "3..." he pulled the blindfold off and turned the lights on.

"SURPRISE" The whole gang was there.

"Oh My God!" she exclaimed, shocked by everything, her friends, being at Sharpays, her house decorated to celebrate Gabriella's birthday. "Who organised this?" she asked looking around at the decorations, the food, the cake, the games.

"Look behind you" Sharpay said

She looked round and saw her boyfriend standing there smiling at her.

"You did all of this?" she asked amazed

"I came and helped a bit when you said to meet at ten, then the rest was left to them" he explained

"Oh my gosh" she was speechless "I don't know what to say...thank you...thanks to all you guys" she said

"No problem" they all said around the same time.

"Well, what are we waiting for, lets party" Sharpay yelled

They laughed, but nevertheless did as she said.

"OK, first of all we give Gabriella her birthday presents" Sharpay suggested. "I'll go first" she told them.

Gabriella opened her present from Sharpay and found a new set of cosmetics she'd had her eye on. Zeke got her the new Harry Potter DVD, Taylor got her a black sequined bag, Chad got her Michael McIntyre at Wembley DVD, Kelsi got her a new top from her favourite shop and Jason gave her £10 as he wasn't entirely sure what he should get her.

During the day, Gabriella had found all five presents from Troy

A teddy bear with a heart in the middle

_As Gabriella walked into the kitchen to get herself a drink she saw a piece of cardboard with her name on it. Intrigued she walked over and picked it up. Behind it was a teddy bear with a big heart in the middle, with a note on the granite table-top saying "Love Troy"_

_Gabriella couldn't contain herself, an affectionate 'aww' erupted from her mouth._

_In the living room everyone looked at the kitchen waiting for Gabriella to come out, she rushed out to Troy and hugged him tightly._

"_Thank you" she whispered_

"_You like it?" he asked_

_She looked at the teddy as you would look at a puppy or kitten. _

"_I love it" she replied._

A mixed CD of all her favourite songs, also a mixed CD of songs with Troy singing.

"_Gabriella, could you go choose some more music please?" Taylor asked_

_Gabriella who was talking to Troy looked at everyone else._

"_Doesn't someone else want to choose?" she asked_

"_It's your birthday" Taylor grinned._

_Gabriella accepted defeat and walked over to the collection and found two new CDs there, curious as to what they were she pulled them out and saw they had her name on them._

"_Gabriella, I know how much you love music so here is a compilation of all your favourite songs and a few surprises. Troy x"_

_Gabriella smiled and put one of the discs in, her favourite song "Runaway Horses" played through the speakers. Gabriella grinned and went back over to Troy._

"_Thank you!" _

_Troy hugged her in return "Anything for you" he whispered._

A bottle of her favourite perfume

_Gabriella had left her bag by the door when she came in. She decided she wanted to take some pictures and went to retrieve her camera from the bag._

_As she opened it she realized there was something in there which she hadn't put in this morning._

_Gabriella pulled it out to find her favourite perfume 'Euphoria' by 'Calvin Klein'. Gabriella smiled as she remembered mentioning to Troy she had to go and by some more._

_She hadn't had the opportunity yet so decided to spray her favourite scent around her._

_Troy was currently on the sofa with the rest of their friends, waiting for Gabriella's return._

_Gabriella ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek "Thank you!" she said again, she'd lost count how many times she had said it to him now._

"_Dude, how many more are there?" Chad asked_

_Gabriella looked up, curiously._

"_There's one more" Troy admitted._

_Gabriella got up immediately in search of her last present._

A book which means a lot...

"_I can't find it, Troy" Gabriella whined_

_Troy laughed "Well then you're not looking hard enough, Gabriella" he imitated._

"_Just a little clue?" she asked_

_Troy pretended to ponder this._

"_Please, please, please, please, please" she begged, getting down on her knees to prove how out of ideas she was._

_Troy laughed and picked her up to set her back down on her feet._

"_Alright, it has something to do with one thing you really love doing which isn't singing" he told her._

_Gabriella's eyes lit up and ran to the place she knew she needed t go. Everyone else ran after her, not knowing what it was either._

_Troy decided to go as well, to see the look on her face when she saw what it was._

"_A book?" Chad asked "You got her a book?" _

_Troy shrugged, and kept tight lipped._

"_This bookshelf is huge Troy" Gabriella called_

_Troy laughed_

"_Look under your favourite section"_

_Gabriella looked at him but went to 'fantasy' anyway. She looked at the books and saw one which was out of its alphabetical ordered place. Her eyes widened in disbelief._

_Troy stood here, he knew she had found it and hoped she liked it._

"_Oh my God" she said, picking the book off the shelf. She turned to Troy "You found it?" she asked_

_Troy shrugged, while the rest of the group were by the door he was near the desk, praying she liked it._

_Gabriella suddenly put the book down and walked determinedly over to Troy, stood up on her toes and kissed him and for the first time with a sense of urgency, before their kisses were usually sweet and gentle. Troy quickly put his arms around her waist, wanting the moment to last._

"_Am I missing something here?" Chad interrupted_

"_Um" Gabriella started "My Grandmother had an edition of this book, she always used to read it to me whenever I wanted to hear it, which was all the time." She added, with a laugh "One day I asked to hear it and she didn't have it, someone had borrowed it and they lost it" she told them "For years I've been trying to find but never could, the book is very rare. How did you find it?" she asked Troy._

"_I knew a guy, he didn't want it. I bought from him" _

"_You're amazing" she told him, and leant up to kiss him once more._

She loved all of them, in her opinion this was the best birthday ever, and the day wasn't over yet.

"OK guys, Troy worked really hard on this, and wants to share it with Gabriella" Kelsi announced

"OK Gabriella, start off, please" Kelsi told her as she sat down to play the piano, Troy was standing behind Gabriella he whispered "Hope you like it" she smiled

[Kelsi]

Na Na Na Na  
Na Na Na Na yeah  
You are the music in me  
You know the words "Once Upon A Time"  
Make you listen?  
There's a reason.

_[Gabriella]_

_When you dream there's a chance you'll find  
_A _little laughter or happy ever after_

_**[Troy and Gabriella]**_

_**Your harmony to the melody  
It's echoing inside my head **__  
A single voice _**(Single voice)**_  
Above the noise  
__**And like a common thread**__  
_**Hmm, you're pulling me**

_Gabriella_

_When I hear my favourite song  
I know that we belong_

**Troy**

**Oh, you are the music in me  
Yeah it's living in all of us**

_Gabriella_

_And it's brought us here because  
Because you are the music in me_

_**Both**_

_**Na Na Na Na**_**(Ohh)**_  
__**Na Na Na Na Na**__  
__**Yeah yeah yeah**__ (Na Na Na Na)  
__**You are the music in me**_

_Gabriella_

_It's like I knew you before we met _**(Before we met)**_  
Can't explain it _**(Ohh ohh)**_  
There's no name for it _**(No name for it)**_  
__**I'm saying words I never said**_

**Troy**

**And it was easy**_ (So easy)  
_**Because you see the real me**_ (I see)_

_**Both**_

**As I**_**am  
You understand**_

**Troy**

**And that's more than I've ever known**_  
To hear your voice _**(Hear your voice)**_  
Above the noise (Ohh ohh)_

_**Both**_

_**And no, I'm not alone**_

Gabriella

_Oh you're singing to me _**(Ohh yeah)**

**Both**

_**When I hear my favourite song  
I know that we belong**_**(Yeah ohh)**_  
__**You are the music in me  
It's living in all of us  
And it's brought us here**_**because **_  
__**You are the music in me**__  
__**Together we're gonna sing**_**(Yeah)**_  
__**We got the power to sing **_**what we feel**_ (What we feel)  
_**Connected and real**_  
Can't keep it __**all inside**__ (Ohh)  
_Na Na Na Na_**(Ohh yeah)**__  
_Na Na Na Na Na_**(Ohh yeah)  
Yeah yeah yeah**__ (Na Na Na Na)  
__**You are the music in me**_**(In me)**_  
_Na Na Na Na_ (Ohh yeah)_**(Ohh Yeah Yeah)**_  
_Na Na Na Na Na_**(Ohh yeah)**__  
_Na Na Na Na_**You are the music in me**__  
When I hear my favourite song _**(Favourite song)**_  
I know that we belong (We belong)  
_You are the music in me_  
_**Yeah it's living in all of us**_  
_**It's brought us here because**_ (Here because)  
_**You are the music in me**_ Na Na Na Na __**(Ohh yeah)**__  
_Na Na Na Na_ (Ohh yeah)  
_Na Na Na Na_  
__**You are the music in me  
**_**Yeahh**

The gang started cheering

Gabriella and Troys foreheads were connected, "I love it, it's beautiful" she whispered, he smiled and kissed her softly.

Around half past seven they decided to get going, Gabriella believed the day was over however, everyone else needed time to get the house ready and Troy and Gabriella needed to change for their date.

"Troy, today has been amazing" she told him dreamily

"And it's not over yet" he smiled at her shocked face.

When they got back, Gabriella's mum was out, she went to her room to change, Troy told her to wear something formal, but not too formal, he said he'd meet her at hers once he was ready.

At 8:00pm Troy was on Gabriella doorstep ringing the doorbell.

"Hey" she greeted

"Hey" He breathed "You look beautiful" he complemented

She blushed a bit "Thank you" she said

"Shall we?" Troy asked holding out his arm

"Let's go" she replied giggling

"Oh, here" he said handing her the blindfold again.

She looked at it for a second and took it.

He smiled

"OK when I say open, you take off the blind fold, OK?"

"OK" she agreed

"Good"

He opened her car door and led her to where their date would be held.

"OK, 1...2...3...open"

She immediately took the blind fold off and gasped, it was so beautiful, they were at the secret place at the beach, Troy had managed to get little fairy lights around the trees, and there was a candlelit dinner for two, with her favourite meal there.

"Troy this is amazing" the sight was breathtaking.

"I'm glad you like it"

"Who cooked?" Gabriella asked

"I cooked, but your mum brought it down"

"She knew"

He nodded his head and smiled.

Troy and Gabriella sat down and ate their meal in a comfortable silence, Troy smiled when he saw the locket he gave her still around her neck.

Once they were finished they just started talking about random things, mainly the day that they'd had and planning days out for the near future.

"Do you want to go and take a walk?" he asked

"Sure" she agreed

They had been walking around in a comfortable silence for a while when Troy spoke.

"Gabriella?"

"Yeah Troy?" she asked smiling

"Now don't get freaked out, and it's OK if you don't feel the same way but..."

"But what?" she asked eagerly

He smiled

"Turn around and look down" he told her

She was confused but did as he said, written in the sand displayed in a heart said

_Troy Bolton_

_Loves_

_Gabriella Montez_

A smile instantly broke out on her face; Troy saw this and was instantly relieved. She spun around so fast and kissed him that his mind didn't process the action immediately.

"I love you too" she told him

He smiled and once again kissed her again.

_**Ok, I decided to make the end a little more realistic but hopefully still as sweet.**_

_Hope you like it :)_


	16. Organising the concert

Troyella

_[I'm warning you all now, the club I have used is from a program called Charmed, at that time and now I have really gotten back into it and wanted to do something with those characters as well – don't worry, there's no magic. What I'm trying to say is, I in no way own P3, Charmed or High School Musical.]_

**Chapter 16: Organising the concert [Edited]**

Once Troy and Gabriella got back from the beach they went to Sharpay and Ryans where everything had been changed into a sleeping area, Gabriella was so shocked, happy, and just speechless, she didn't understand what was going on, until she saw her sleeping stuff, and Troy told her, her mum had dropped it off while we were at the beach.

They all had a brilliant night before going to sleep. Zeke, as promised, had baked a cake for her, which everyone agreed was delicious.

Now, it was the morning afterwards and Gabriella was being gently awoken from her slumber by someone softly stroking her hair, smiling, she rolled over.

"Hey" she said sleepily

"Morning" Troy replied

"What time is it?" she asked

"11:00" he answered

"Is anyone else up?" she asked

"Think there all in the kitchen" he replied

They had slept in the living room as Ryan was back arrangements for rooms was a little more difficult, so they offered to sleep on the sofa bed which had been made-up beforehand.

"Why didn't you join them?" she asked

"I only woke up about...5 minutes ago" he said thinking

"I see" Gabriella nodded.

All of a sudden the gang crashed into the living room

"What the hell?" Gabriella and Troy said at the same time

"We weren't eavesdropping" Jason said automatically

"Jason!" They all groaned

"Why does everyone always do that?" he asked, mostly himself.

"So you're up" Sharpay said trying to change the subject

"Yes, we are" Troy said amused at the scene before him "And you have no orange juice on you" he stated

"Are you kidding, I've already changed" she said casually

Troy and Gabriella laughed at this.

"How long have you all been up?" Gabriella asked

"Since about, 8, Chad 10" Kelsi told them

"Oh" they replied

"I'm going to go get changed" Troy told them

"Me too" Gabriella said

"Okay, when you come back down, we need to discuss the concert okay" Sharpay shouted up the stairs to them

"Okay" they yelled from upstairs

Around 10 minutes later they both were back down

"Wow, that was fast" Taylor stated

Troy and Gabriella shrugged.

"Anyway, 1st breakfast, what do you want?" Troy asked Gabriella, eyeing the others, noticing there was nothing left on the table.

"What? Don't blame us, it was Chad!" Sharpay told them

"Why am I always the escape clause?"

Gabriella giggled and turned her attention back to Troy.

"Um, if they have the right ingredients, what we had yesterday"? She suggested

"Coming right up" he told her

"Can you cook?" Jason asked

"Not really, just bits here and there" he answered

He started getting the ingredients for pancakes, just like yesterday

"So, the concert" Troy said, trying to divert their attention from him.

"Well, it's just us, so venue?" Gabriella asked

"Where is there?" Zeke asked

"Anywhere that can hold a LARGE audience" Ryan said

They all looked at him, another Sharpay!

"I totally agree" Sharpay agreed

"Of course you do" Jason muttered

"Excuse me?" she said turning to Jason

"Nothing" he said quickly

"Um, what about that new place" Troy said while flipping the pancakes

Everyone except Gabriella stared for a minute.

"Oh that place ..." she slapped her head trying to remember

"Hey, you're going to lose brain cells" Chad warned

"P3"

"Oh that place, yeah that sounds cool" Kelsi agreed

"If the owner will have us" Zeke said

"Well, once Troy and Gabriella have eaten, let's go over there" Sharpay suggested

They all agreed.

"So, is Troy any good at cooking?" Taylor asked Gabriella casually, trying to make conversation

"Yeah, he is" Gabriella told them truthfully

"What has he made you" Chad asked

"Um, Pancakes, waffles, dinner last night and on our first date" she told them.

Their eyes went wide with surprise.

"Thought the only thing you could cook was toast" Sharpay said interrogated

"And even then you burnt it" Chad said

"I never said that, you guys did, remember?" Troy told them

"Oh yeah" they all said looking back

Troy and Gabriella laughed.

Troy and Gabriella ate, letting the gang taste some, which they all loved, and then headed to P3.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"COME IN" Piper yelled from inside the club

"Look Leo, we need to find someone to play, otherwise we will lose our only source of income" Piper said as the gang were walking down the stairs.

"I know that, but they're not going to just come up and say 'Hi, we need a place to perform' " he told her, urging her to slow down.

"Hi, we need a place to perform" Troy said

"Well, would you look at that" she directed at Leo "Hello my name is Piper Halliwell, this is my husband Leo, my sisters Paige and Phoebe" Piper introduced

"Hey" Paige, Leo and Phoebe greeted

"Well my name is Troy Bolton, this is my girlfriend Gabriella Montez, and these guys are Chad Danforth, Taylor McKessie, Sharpay Evans, Zeke Baylor, Kelsi Neilson, Jason Cross and Ryan Evans" Troy introduced.

"Hey" The greeted back

"Well it's nice to meet all of you" Piper said

"So, why do you need a place to perform?" Paige asked

"Well, we are putting on a concert for our school, and we are organising it, we heard of this place and thought it was perfect." Sharpay told them

"Oh, well is it just you guys performing?" Phoebe asked

"Yeah" they said in union

"Well, let's hear you." Piper said

"Okay, what do you want us to do?" Taylor asked

"Well, who's going to be main singers?" Piper asked

"These four" They pointed to Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay and Ryan

"At different times" Troy added

"What are the rest of you going to be doing?" Leo asked

"Kelsi is playing piano, Jason is playing bass, Zeke is playing guitar, and Chad is playing drums" Troy told them

"But, some of the songs I may not be able to play on the guitar, so when Troy's not singing, he will be taking over" Zeke added

"What about when he's playing, and Taylor?" Paige asked

"I am introducing each song, and there will be group songs, just for comedic/fun entertainment" Taylor told them

"Same with the comedic/fun, and when Troys playing, I will be making sure everything is still working properly, you never know" He told them

"Sounds like everything has been figured out" Piper said

"Yeah, just need a place" Chad said

"Well, how about Troy and Gabriella do a song, any song, and then we can see how you guys are from that, then we can work something out" Piper said

"Okay, guys what should we sing?" he asked

"What about, What I've been looking for?" Kelsi suggested

"Okay, let's do this" Troy said

They started singing

**Troy:**  
**It's hard to believe  
That I couldn't see  
You were always there beside me**

_Gabriella__**:**__  
Thought I was alone  
With no one to hold_

_**Both**__**:  
But you were always there beside me  
This feeling's like no other  
I want you to know**_

_**Chorus Both**__**:  
I've never had someone that knows me like you do  
The way you do I've never had someone as good for me as you  
No one like you  
So lonely before I finally found  
What I've been looking for**_

_Gabriella:__  
Ooooh_

Everyone in the room was blown away, the gang had heard them sing before, obviously, but it never ceased to amaze them how great they actually were

"You can definitely use the club" Piper finally managed to get out; they were such a talented duo.

They all smiled with gratitude and relief.

"So how many songs are you planning on doing?" Paige asked

"We're not entirely sure yet, but we'll each be doing a few." Troy said hesitantly

"Do you think you could spread it out over a weekend?" Piper asked

"I think we could manage that" Sharpay said confidently

"Good, what school do you go to?" Phoebe asked

"East High" They all said

"We'll there and get the final details sorted out with your principal" Leo said

"Okay, cool" Jason said

"Thank you, so much" Troy thanked them

"No problem, now go rehearse" Paige smiled

"Will do" Ryan said, they laughed

"Good, we'll probably see you at school then" Piper said

"See you there" Troy said

When they got out, they got straight to rehearsing, they knew exactly what songs they were going to sing, and who would be singing them, and they were all made up by each other, so they wanted to get it right so it would be perfect.

Troy and Gabriella decided to leave first and were proud of themselves for doing so.

"I can't believe today, it's been awesome" Gabriella said

"I know, but hey, did you enjoy your birthday yesterday?" Troy asked

"I loved it, it was the best birthday ever" Gabriella told him

"Good, I'm glad" Troy said happily

At the moment they were at the park opposite their houses, again just being with each other. They found they couldn't get enough of doing this.

"So, what are we doing tomorrow?" Gabriella asked

"Well, at seven I'm taking you out, so how about we just, go into town and go around random places, and buying random junk" Troy suggested

Gabriella giggled "Sounds good" she said

Troy walked Gabriella to her front door

"So, I'll see you tomorrow" Troy told her

"Yeah" she nodded

They leaned in and kissed one another sweetly.

"I love you" Troy said

She smiled "I love you too" he smiled

Gabriella walked into her house while Troy jumped over the wall making his way to his own house.

Gabriella went in and ran up to her bedroom ecstatic with how the last couple of days have been.

Troy got in and all the lights were off, he figured that for some bizarre reason his parents were in bed, which he was thankful for, he didn't want to be interrogated, so he also went up to his room.

They both stayed awake for about an hour texting each other before they finally went to sleep

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Ok, it isn't exaggerated now, so it's all good._

_I'm leaving this one as a chapter filler; hopefully you all like it :)_


	17. Town & Second Date

Troyella

**Chapter 17: Town and Second Date [Edited]**

Troy and Gabriella both woke up early, which surprised them both. They were both looking forward to spending the day with only each other, which they had come to realize they hadn't spent a _whole _day by themselves, they had only spent nights with each other, and that would normally include their parents, but they didn't mind because it was very entertaining.

Troy, once was dressed, decided to text her to see if she was awake.

Gabriella just finished getting ready when her message tone filled the room

_Hey Gabriella,_

_Just got dressed, wondering if you're up yet? Okay if you're not,  
just checking, either way __**don't**__ have breakfast, okay?_

_Troy xx_

She smiled, and texted back

_Hey Troy,_

_Also just got ready, amazing that it's this early I know.  
But it's the most important meal of the day :( I won't have any energy for a whole day of shopping for random junk. :(_

_Gabriella xx_

He laughed as he got it

_Gabriella,_

_Aww, don't be sad, how about I take you to that place I took you out to last time,  
And if you want a whole day of shopping, it's up to you, as long as we get frequent breaks :)_

_Troy xx_

She got the text and wrote back

_Troy_

_YAY! I like that place, as long as we get that Ice Cream afterwards and __**whole day!**__ I agree with the breaks, phew. Now can we talk face to face, or are we going to be communicating by texts all day?_

_Gabriella xx_

Her phone rang again, after a few minutes

_Gabriella,_

_You got yourself a deal, and we would be able to talk face to face if you got your butt out of your room and into my car :)_

_Troy xx_

She immediately grabbed her bag and ran downstairs to Troys car

"Bye mum" she called out before leaving

"Bye Gabriella" Her mum called back, she knew Gabriella was going to be with Troy so she didn't ask where she was going as she looked like she was in a rush. She'd be sure to ask Lucille later though.

Gabriella saw Troys car outside her house and immediately got in.

"Happy?" she asked

"Very" he replied

On the way there they just talked about random things, it was basically nothing but they listened to each other's weird rambling anyway.

"Here we are" Troy said as they pulled up

Gabriella smiled, getting out of the car.

"Someone's a little energetic today, what happened to _'I won't have any energy if I have no breakfast'_ he quoted her text

"I said I wouldn't have any energy for shopping" she corrected

He laughed, knowing she'd just gotten him on that one.

"Come on" he said leading her in

They got the same table as they did last time, which they liked because they got a bit of privacy.

"Hello, may I take your order?" the perky waitress asked

"Um, yeah, can we have pancakes for two and two glasses of milk please" Troy told her

"Coming right up" she said

"Milk?" Gabriella asked

Troy shrugged "You like milk, don't you?"

"Well yeah, just strange to have it in a restaurant" she giggled

"Do you want something else?" he asked, knowing what her reaction would be

"No!" she told him. He smirked, that girl really did love milk.

Gabriella laughed

"What?" he asked confused

"We've had these three days in a row now, and each time you've either taken my order, or she's taken ours, It's always followed by _'coming right up'_" she told him

He looked at her for a second "Are you making fun of me?" he asked

"Maybe" she said

"Hmm"

"What?" she asked

He smiled quite evilly "Nothing" he replied still smiling, Gabriella was curious, but let it slide.

The perky waitress came back with their food, and now it was time to pay the bill

"Troy, I'm paying, you paid last time, and it's not that expensive" she said

"I'm paying, and you're not going to stop me" he told her

"What if I pay first" she said unzipping her bag

"Well I'd like to see you try when there's nowhere for you to put it" he smiled

When she looked down, she realized that the little book type thing that the money was supposed to go in was gone.

"Where did it go?" she asked, mostly herself

The perky waitress came back.

"Here's your change, have a nice day" and skipped off

"You're going to have to teach me how to do that" Gabriella muttered

Troy laughed, knowing he never would.

"So, town?" she asked

"Let's go then" he said, walking towards the car.

They drove in to the parking place in town and walked around for a bit.

"So, where do you want to go?" Gabriella asked

"Hmm, well if we forget what I said about random junk, we could spend our money on something decent" he said

"Sounds good." Gabriella agreed "Waterstones!" Gabriella said, and pulled Troy over to the shop

"Whoa, pull my arm out of its socket why don't you" he said playfully

"Aw, I'm sorry" she said in a baby kind of voice.

"Anyway, you want to go in here?" he asked

"Only if you want to"

"Sure" he said

They went in, Troy was mainly looking at sports biographies of people he liked while Gabriella was looking in the fiction section.

"You realize this section is for kids, right?" Troy asked

"No, it's for young adults as well, meaning teenagers, meaning me" she defended, she loved these books.

Troy couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriends' logic.

Gabriella took a couple of books she's wanted to read off the shelf; whenever she went to the bookshop near her they never had it in stock.

"You want that one?" Troy asked

"Yeah, I'll just go pay for it" she smiled

Before she could Troy grabbed the book off her

"Hey" she said, and noticed he was walking towards the till.

"Oh no you don't!"

Troy laughed at his girlfriend running after him. Unfortunately for Gabriella she got caught up in a crowd of exchange students and had to watch as Troy paid for her book.

"That was mean" she said

"The common phrase, is thank you" he told her.

Gabriella giggled "Well thank you, but I could have paid for it myself" she told him.

"But I like spoiling you" he told her

She blushed at his words.

"Where to next?" Troy asked

"Hmm, how about Next" Gabriella suggested

"Please tell me I didn't just give you that idea" Troy pleaded

"You didn't just give me that idea" she said

"Really?" he asked hopefully

"No" she smiled and ran

He ran after her, they got to the Bookstack when he caught her

"Got'cha Montez" he whispered in her ear

She giggled

"Okay okay, please can we go into either, Next, Primark or Bay?" she asked

"Not all three?" he asked

"Hmm, at least two, I don't want to go into all three either" she told him

"Which ones do you want to go to most" he asked

She thought for a second "Primark and Bay" she said sweetly

"Okay, well Bay is just round here, right?" he asked making sure

"Don't know, haven't been in here before now" she admitted

"But you've been here for about a few weeks now" he said kind of shocked

"Yes, but I've been spending everyday with you and the gang, and we haven't been in, have we" she told him

"Oh yeah" he said looking back "So how did you know about these shops then?" he asked

"Well (a) they should have them anywhere and (b) Sharpay talks about shopping a lot...and Taylor...and Kelsi" she told him

"Ah, yes, the shopaholics" he called them

She looked at him

"It's a nickname the guys and I gave them when they literally spent a whole day talking about shopping, while shopping" Troy explained

Gabriella laughed "I think I could imagine that" she said imagining it "Yep"

He laughed

They went into Bay first

"Hmm, what do you think of this?" she held up a top, in four colours, purple, red, black and white

"You like them colours don't you?" he asked rhetorically

"Yes I do" she stated "Now, which you think suites me better?" she asked

"I don't know Gabriella" he whined

"But I want your opinion Troy" she mocked

He sent a playful glare towards her "Why don't you just get a colour you don't have in your wardrobe" he suggested

"Red it is" she said putting the other three back and going to the counter to pay

"Now Primark, it's cheap and hopefully has some nice things in" she said skipping to where he was

He chuckled at her enthusiasm

When they got to Primark Gabriella immediately went sorting through things she thought she'd like, Troy watched her and laughed when she found something she liked

"This?" she asked

"Up to you" he replied

"I think I will" she was about to go to the counter and pay when Troy took the item off her and went to the counter himself.

"Hey!" Gabriella yelled and went after him "Troy" she whined

"Gabriella" he mocked

"It's not expensive or anything" she said trying to grab it

"Yes but I don't care" he smiled when she couldn't reach it

"Hello, may I help you" the woman from behind the counter said, amused at the scene in front of her

"Yeah, here" Troy passed her the item

Gabriella was about to get her money out when Troy took her purse off her

"Troy, give it back"

"That will be £2 please" she said

"Here you go" Troy said handing her the money, laughing as Gabriella tried to grab it before it got to her

"Your change and receipt have a nice day" she said smiling

Gabriella of course gave up

"Thank you" they said together

"Now see, was it so hard for me to buy you something?" he asked

"But you got me loads for my birthday and a book just now, I feel spoilt" she admitted taking her purse back from Troy.

"Gabriella you are the least spoilt person I know" he told her

She smiled "So, do you want to go into HMV now?" she asked

"Sure" he agreed

Troy and Gabriella walked into the shop, at some point they got separated and Troy went and paid for his things. After that he went in search for Gabriella.

He found her by the CDs.

"What decision do you need to make?" he asked her.

Gabriella sighed "It's between Adam Lambert and JLS" she told him.

"Who are JLS?" Troy asked

"They're a British band, really good!" she told him.

"Don't you have Adam Lamberts CD?" he asked

Gabriella blushed "But this is his Tour Edition" she told him.

"Why don't you get both?" he asked

"I have a thing about spending all my money in one go" she told him.

"But what about your birthday money?" he asked her.

Gabriella grinned "Perfect!" he leant up and kissed him for his genius.

Troy laughed and waited outside the queue for her to pay.

They decided to go have that ice cream the agreed they would have after that.

"Hello, what can I get you?" the man behind the counter said with a less enthusiastic tone

"Err, hi, can we have two chocolate ice creams please" Troy asked

"Yeah" he said plainly

"What's wrong with him?" Gabriella whispered

Troy shrugged

"Here you go, that's £3 please" he said handing them the ice creams

"Thank you" Troy said handing him the money, Gabriella didn't like the look of him and was happy she didn't have to get any part of her near him, so this time she let Troy off for paying

They walked away and sat down where a few tables and chairs were laid

"Why was he like that?" Gabriella asked

"I don't know, he's always been this way. It's the way I've always remembered him, even when I was younger he was the same." he told her

"Oh" Gabriella said, confused about the strange mans behaviour.

While they were in town everyone who walked passed knew how much they were in love, and thought how lucky they were they could find it from such a young age.

"So where to next?" Gabriella asked once they were done

"Well, it's 6:00, do you want to head home and hang out there for an hour or so, then we can get ready for tonight" Troy suggested

"Sure, that sounds good" Gabriella agreed

So they picked up their bags and headed for the car, Troy put the bags in the boot and drove back to his house

"Mum, dad, you home?" Troy yelled

"Yeah, I'm in the loft" Jack called down

"And I'm in the basement" Lucille called up

"Why?" Troy asked, slowly

"Clearing out" they shouted together

Troy shrugged

"Do you want to go upstairs?" he asked

"Sure" she replied

They had dropped Gabriella's stuff at her house, so Troy got his stuff and he and Gabriella went to his room

"So, what do you want to do?" Troy asked

"I don't know, how about we listen to them CD's we bought?" Gabriella suggested

"Okay, cool" he agreed

They put on the new 'Now! That's What I Call Music' CD.

"So, you nervous about the concert?" Troy asked randomly

"I guess, but I think I can do it" she smiled

"Like the first time we sang together?" he asked

"Yeah, that was so strange, I still can't believe I did it without throwing up" Gabriella admitted

Troy laughed "I can't believe I did it without walking off" he told her

"You were about to" she smiled

"Yeah, but I didn't know what to do, I've always liked singing, just never in front of an audience, but then I heard you singing and I decided to stay for two reasons" he told her

"And what were they?" she asked

"Well 1st is that you started singing and I could see how nervous you were already and I couldn't leave you there and 2nd is that your voice was absolutely amazing and I had to talk to you, even if it meant singing the whole song"

Gabriella smiled

"Well, I'm glad you did" she said

"Me too"

They spent the next hour like that, just talking randomly about everything that had happened since they'd met, laughing all the way through

"So, see you in a bit then?" Gabriella asked rhetorical like. They were standing outside Troys front door

"Yeah, I'll be round in about...an hour?" he asked making sure that was enough time

"Sure" she agreed

Troy watched Gabriella go to her front door making sure she got in alright, even if it was only next door. When he got back in he came face to face with his mum and dad.

"Um, hi?" he said confused on why they were there

"So..." Lucille urged

"So...?" Troy repeated, not understanding what she was going on about

She rolled her eyes

"She means so, how's yours and Gabriela's relationship going?" Jack asked for Lucille

"Oh, great, why?" Troy asked

"Give it up Lucille, he's going to find out eventually" Jack surrendered

"Find out what?" Troy asked nervously

"Your grandparents are coming to visit" Lucille gave in

"How long do I have to pack?" Troy asked

"Oh, there not that bad" Jack said, trying to make himself believe it

"You keep telling yourself that" Troy said going upstairs

"You'd better not be packing" Jack called up to his son

"I'll pack once I come back" Troy yelled down

"Where are you going?" Lucille asked

"Out with Gabriella" he said

"Okay" they both understood

"Are they really that bad?" Jack asked her

"Maybe not on the surface, but as me and Troy have already found out, they're" she screeched not able to find the words to describe her parents.

"Okay, I get it" Jack said chuckling a bit at his wife

"They're sleeping in a hotel, we have no room for them here" Lucille told him

"What about the spare bedroom?" Jack asked "Or Troy or Tami's room?" he asked

"They're are not giving up their rooms." Lucille said sternly

"And the guest room?" Jack asked

"...I'll think of something" Lucille said determinedly, and walked off

"Well this should be interesting" Jack said to himself

Around an hour later Troy was leaving his house, it was a miracle he could even get ready with all his mothers preparations going on.

"I'm going now" Troy said letting his parents know he was leaving

"WAIT!" Lucille called from the kitchen as she came rushing out

"What?" Troy asked, wanting to get to Gabriela's on time

"Aren't you going to help on ideas of how to keep your grandparents out of the house?" she asked desperately

Troy looked at her

"What she means is have a good time" Jack 'translated'

"Thanks" he said and walked to Gabriella's

"You realize what this means?" Lucille asked him

"What?" he asked

"You're helping me now" She said and walked back into the kitchen

"This should be fun" Jack mumbled and followed her

Troy knocked on Gabriella's door

"Hello Troy" Ava greeted

"Hey Ava, is Gabriella ready?" he asked

"Yeah, she should be down in a few minutes, how's your mum?" she asked

"Oh, she's kind of freaking out" he told her

"Why?" Ava asked with concern

"Her parents, my grandparents, are visiting" he told her

"Oh, why is that bad?" she asked curiously

"Let's just say, nothing we do is ever good enough, they like perfect, and find negative in everything" he told her

"Ah, I understand" Ava told him

"Yeah?" he asked

"Yep, Gabriella's father, John, his parents are the same" she admitted

"Oh, so you understand why I feel the need to pack and spend their visit somewhere else?" he joked

"Completely understandable" Ava laughed

"What are we laughing about" Gabriella asked walking down the stairs

Troy was amazed at how she looked

"We were just talking about his grandparents, and how your father's parents are the same" Ava told her

"If they're coming I'm packing" Gabriella told her

Troy and Ava laughed

"That was my reaction when I found out that _mine_ are visiting" Troy told her

"Oh" she sounded relieved "Unlucky" she said

"Yep"

"TROY!" They heard someone calling his name

They all went into the front garden and looked up

Troys little sister Tami was calling him. She is 15 years old, she and Troy got along, which wasn't usual for siblings, but they had a lot in common.

"Yeah?" he yelled up

"Please tell me it's not true?" She asked

"Depends, what do you want not to be true?" he asked

"Oh no" Tami said worriedly

"What?" he asked

"Behind you" She yelled through her fake/believable smile

Troy turned to see his grandparents

"Grandma, Granddad, you're supposed to be coming at the weekend" Troy said shocked

"What, we can't visit our families earlier and longer?" his grandmother asked, obviously expecting an answer

"Of course you can, I was just surprised, and mum said you were coming at the weekend is all" he told her

"Oh" His grandmother replied, knowing this was a good enough answer.

"So, you going to take our stuff in, we're not as strong as we used to be you know, and be careful, it's heavy" his grandfather told him

"I'll be right back" he said to Gabriella and Ava

"Okay, hey, it's fine" Gabriella smiled

"Okay, come on then" Troy said picking up the bags with ease

"Tami can you open the front door, please?" Troy yelled up

"Okay" she called down, she didn't like her grandparents, but she didn't want Troy to be tortured by them either so the sooner she opened the door, the less amount of conversation

"Hey Grandma, hey Granddad" She greeted, convincingly happy.

"Hello Niki, how are you?" her grandmother asked, getting her name wrong

"Grandma her names Tami" Troy said, knowing how she hated it if she was called anything else

"Yes, yes" she said as if she didn't take anything he actually said in. They mentally rolled their eyes at their grandparents

"Um, Troy, don't you need to be somewhere?" Tami asked, knowing he wanted to get back to Gabriella.

"Yeah, I'll see you guys later. Bye sis" he said leaving

"Wait, we just got here, your leaving already?" his grandmother asked

This used to make him stay no matter what his plans were, but Gabriella was more important than she knew

"Um, yeah, sorry" he went back into Gabrielle's, she was on the porch

"Hey" she greeted happily

"Hey, shall we go?" he asked

"What's the rush?" she asked

"They will try and make me stay, so the quicker we get out, the better" he told her

She smiled "Sounds good to me" and they walked/ran to the car

"Troy" his grandmother called out

Luckily he was already driving away

"So where are we going?" Gabriella asked

"You'll see" he smiled

"Does everything always have to be a surprise?" She asked

"You love it really" he said knowingly

Even though they were with each other constantly, they never failed to have something to talk about.

"Well, here we are" Troy said once they arrived

Gabriela's mouth dropped, it was a small but extravagant restaurant, it wasn't lively, and it was just filled with couples. Now this may seem normal, but Gabriella had wanted to come here since she had done a research project about _places to go in a town of your choice_ in her old school, she knew she was going to Albuquerque by then, so she decided a bit of research on it wouldn't hurt.

"You like it?" he asked

"I love it" she said taking everything in.

They walked up and stood until the reservations person came

"Hello, do you have a reservation?" the man asked politely

"Yes, Bolton" Troy told him

"Ah yes, follow me" he said, quickly grabbing some menus

"So, your uncle owns this place, correct?" he asked

"Yes he does" Troy told him

Gabriella was shocked

They ordered their food and talked until it came

"You never told me your uncle owned a restaurant" Gabriella said

"Yeah, well it's not exactly something you bring up in conversations now is it?" he asked rhetorically

"True" she agreed "But we've had loads of random conversations" she pointed

"Well you've never told me what your uncle does" he questioned

She giggled "Okay, he is a teacher at a university" she told him

"Wow, what subject does he teach?" he asked

"He teaches History." she told him

"Interesting."

There food came, but it wasn't the same waiter.

"Troy, good to see you" his uncle was stood in front of him with their food

"Hey Uncle Ben" he greeted with a hug, once he'd put the food down.

"How are you?" his uncle asked

"I'm good, you?" Troy returned

"Yeah I'm good thanks" he said

"Good, Auntie Louisa and Zoey okay?" he asked

"Yeah, they're all fine"

"That's good, Uncle Ben I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Gabriella Montez" he introduced

"It's nice to put a face with a name" Ben smiled

She and Troy looked confused.

"Your Dad talks about how you are always thinking of her, how you are always texting or phoning her, how you are always talking about her how..."

"Okay, I think we get it" Troy said trying to get his uncle to shut up, making a mental note to kill his Dad later.

"So, your Dad told me that your grandparents are coming down for a visit" Ben brought up

Troy groaned "Unfortunately" he mumbled

"Oh, it might not be that bad" Ben tried to be positive

"You've never had to live with them" Troy pointed out

"True"

It was then Gabriella sussed that he was an uncle from his Dads side

"Are you still coming to the BBQ and staying for a few days thing in two weeks?" Ben asked

"You mean the _'Family get-together'_"? Troy asked

"That's it, so I take it you are" Ben said

"Yep, and Gabriella's coming as well" Troy told him "Mum and dad have cleared it" He added

"Oh, well the rest of the family will love to meet you, Troys never let us meet any of his girlfriends, so it should be I'll leave you too alone, enjoy your meal, and your date, see you guys in two weeks" with that he walked away

"You've never let your family meet any of your girlfriends?" she asked shocked and confused at the same time

"Well that's because I've never had a girlfriend for them to meet" he smiled

"Wait, Troy Bolton has never had a girlfriend before me?" she asked thinking it was ridiculous

"Yep" he replied casually

"But you're the most popular guy in school, girls would bow down to be your girlfriend" she pointed out

"And that's why they've never been my girlfriend, I don't want a girl who's going to be at my beck and call 24/7, or only likes me because of my basketball status or popularity, that's why I was so happy when you transferred to East High, you're not like other girls, that's one of the things I love about you" he admitted

Gabriella was so happy, he was so sweet, she was speechless, she literally opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't.

_'How do you respond to something like that?' _She thought

"Have I freaked you out?" he asked

"No" she said quickly _'About time Montez'_ she thought to herself "Just don't know how to respond to something like that" she admitted

"Ah, well you might want to get used to it, because I'm not stopping" he smiled as he ate his dinner she smiled digging into hers

Troys uncle was looking upon the scene before him with interest, he was smiling, he loved the fact that Troy finally had finally found a girl who liked him for him, as he was often told by his brother, his basketball and popularity had a downfall when it came to relationships.

Once Troy and Gabriella had paid, his Uncle had said no but Troy insisted, it wasn't an expensive restaurant so they came to a compromise.

Troy and Gabriella decided to walk home instead of driving, Troy said he'd come by and get it the next day.

"Troy?"Gabriella said breaking the silence, getting his attention

"Yeah?" he asked

"If you could do it all over, would you change your life?" she asked

"What do you mean?" he asked

"Like, you're always saying how your basketball and popularity can be a pain yeah?" she said

"Yeah" he agreed, wondering where she was going with this.

"Well, if you could change it so you could still play basketball, but the popularity not being a pain and people, mainly girls, could stop being the way they were around, would you change it?" she asked curiously

He smiled "No" he said

"No?" she asked, wondering why considering he always complained about it

"No, if I did that then I probably wouldn't be with you" he said

"Explain" she said

He laughed "Okay, the way I see it is that every choice in life leads you somewhere, and the thing is, I chose basketball, knowing that my life in Secondary school would be completely different than to other students, and the thing is, if I didn't make that decision, then I wouldn't have known what it would be like having girls constantly around you wanting to be with you, or guys wanting to be you, which would have been good, but then I wouldn't have made the decision to never be with a girl who's like that, who likes you for your popularity and not yourself" he explained

"Wow" she said amazed "So you've thought about this before?" she asked

"Not really, but it has crossed my mind, and I've always managed to come up with that answer. I always hoped there was a reason for it all, and now I know that you're it. So I'm glad I trusted my instincts." he told her

"Why?" she asked, understanding but still curious.

"Because now I have the most amazing girlfriend in the world that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world" he told her as he pulled into the driveway

She smiled and kissed him

He smiled

"Come on, I'll walk you back, and yes I know it's only next door" he said before she could say anything.

Once Troy and Gabriella said goodnight to each other he walked back into his own house to find everyone still up and awake in the living room.

"Hey, whys everyone up so late?" he asked

"Oh, so you know it's late, so why were you out so late?" his grandmother asked

Troy strained to roll his eyes, locking them with Tami who he could tell wanted to do the same

"I was out with Gabriella, at Uncle Ben's restaurant" he told them

"Oh, how is he?" Jack asked

"He's good, so are Auntie Louisa and Zoey" he told him

"That's good" he said

"Excuse me, but Troy was home late, how do you expect to treat this?" his grandfather came in

"I'm not late" Troy said

"Yes you most certainly are" his grandmother said looking at him as if he was crazy "its 11:30" she said

"Yes mum but as I have been trying to tell you, he is allowed out until 12:30" she finally managed to tell her

"Why would you let him out so late?" she asked trying to maintain her anger

"Because Troy is responsible and is always back by at least 12:00" Tami finally spoke

"Stay out of this" the grandfather spoke

"Hey, don't talk to her like that, she has as much right to speak as anyone else in the room" Troy said now annoyed

"She's 14, her opinion doesn't matter" his grandmother spoke

That was it for Troy "I'll be back in a minute, I have to cool down" Troy said and walked out

He took a walk in the park opposite, looking through the window to his parents letting them know he'd only be out there, they gave the slightest nod, not wanting his grandparents to know he was out there, not that they'd notice through their ranting.

Gabriella had also seen him and went outside, in her pyjamas, to see what was going on, she also saw the interaction between him and his parents, somehow immediately understanding he didn't want his grandparents to know he was out there.

"Troy" she loudly whispered, but it got his attention

"Gabriella?" he turned to see her running towards him

"Hey, what are you doing your going to freeze" he said, realizing it was quite cold out and gave Gabriella his jacket, they went and sat on a bench under a tree they would normally sit at, away of view of both of their houses

"Thanks, sorry I saw you out here and wanted to see if you were okay" she told him

He smiled she was always so caring.

"Yeah, just had to cool off" he told her pulling her into a hug once he noticed her shiver a bit. Gabriella smiled and welcomed the gesture.

"Why did you need to cool off, I'm guessing it had something to do with your grandparents?" she asked knowingly

"Bang on, it was fine when they accused me of being home late, because I knew they were wrong, but when they said that her opinion didn't matter because she was 15 I had to get out of the house" he told her

She assumed he was talking about Tami, she didn't know what to do, and so she just stayed in his embrace hoping he'd calm down.

"Thanks for listening to my ranting" he laughed

"It's, you can always talk to me Troy, you know that right?" she asked

"Yeah I do, thanks" he said

"You're welcome" she giggled

"I love you" Troy said randomly

"I love you too" she smiled

They stayed like that for a long while until Troy suggested Gabriella go back inside as she wasn't dressed for the conditions outside.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Alright, so I fixed some things but decided to leave this one mainly the way it was._

_Hope you like it :)_


	18. Meeting The Grandparents

Troyella

**Chapter 18: Meet the Grandparents [Edited]**

Troy was feeling calmer today, much thanks to Gabriella last night. He was still dreading them spending the entire week at his house, but knew he could get away from them at school, and hang out with his friends after school, like they usually did, all he had to do was deal with them when he got home _'at my usual time'_ Troy thought, stubbornly.

Gabriella was hoping Troy was feeling OK today, he knew how close he and his sister was so she wasn't surprised, when she told him, why he was so angry. She was having a good day so far, though it is only the morning, she knew she would have to meet his grandparents as well. She didn't know when but she knew she'd have to at some point.

All of a sudden her phone rang, she was receiving a text.

_Hey Gabriella,_

_I'm so sorry about this but my grandparents want to meet you.  
I told them that it would have to be later because we have school, then musical rehearsals, then for you decathlon and me basketball, so that buys us time to figure out another excuse for not meeting them. So anyway, you can come down because I am in the car, and no I couldn't tell you all that in the car because they are spying on me._

_Troy xx_

Gabriella giggled, sure she wasn't looking forward to meeting his grandparents, but she loved Troy, and would have to meet them soon so she figured the sooner she did, the sooner it would be over with, she knew that sounded harsh, but also knew that Troy reserved the right to think about hers that hers.

She grabbed her bag and headed for Troys car

"Hey" he greeted from his car

"Hey" She greeted from her gate

"So, looking forward to meeting my grandparents" he sounded almost genuine, but the look in his eyes told the full story

"Yep, when am I going to meet them?" she asked, catching on that they must have still been spying on him

"Well..." A voice behind her came "We could meet after school" his grandmother came into view "3:15 sound good?" she asked

"I would but we have meetings and rehearsals and concert preparation, which should take us to about 6:15" she told her

"Oh, well that sounds good to" Troys grandma sounded fake happy

"Great, bye Grandma" Troy said starting up the engine once Gabriella had gotten in

"Bye, have a wonderful day at school" she said, without an ounce of genuine care whether they would or not.

Once they were around the block Troy let out a sigh of mixed frustration and relief

"Um, no offence or anything, but does she ever listen to you, and is she always that fake?" Gabriella asked sadly

"Yes, that's what she's like unfortunately, never thinks about anyone but herself, I bet you at 3:15 she'll phone me and ask how long until were home" he said knowingly

"Sounds like my Grandma, anyway, moving on, how do you think you did on your exams last week?" she asked

"No clue, hopefully okay" he told her

"Yeah, I know, I might have a little more confidence though if someone hadn't been passing notes back to me every 2 minutes" she playfully glared at him

"What I was bored, and I stopped passing them like half way through" he defended himself

"Mmhm, and that is why you are lucky" she said trying to stay serious, he could tell she was failing

"Oh really?" he asked

"Mmhm" she knew if she opened her mouth she'd burst into a fit of laughter, she could usually lie/act like a pro, but to Troy he could always see right through her

"Yeah, okay Montez, and why exactly am I lucky" he asked in a fake curious tone

She couldn't help it; she smiled and started giggling just as they pulled into a parking space at the school

He chuckled "Looks like I won this round" he said just loud enough for her to hear

She immediately stopped and looked at him still smiling

"Would you like to bet on that?" she asked rhetorically

He shot out of the car, with her copying his actions; he was too fast for her so went back to the car to retrieve her bag.

"What the hell, I know I brought it out with me" she questioned herself looking back on the day, that's when she realized he had taken it.

_'Okay Gabriella, he took it, and you will get him back for it, but at least, hopefully, it is in safe hands'_ she thought running in the direction she had come from

"Troy?" she yelled knowing they were the first ones there as usual

No response

_'Where could he be?" she thought and started searching the school, she looked in all the classrooms, the gym, the caretakers bit, the canteen, she even took a chance and looked in the library, and still couldn't find him 'If I were Troy hiding, where would I be?' she asked herself __**'Of Course!'**_ She thought slapping herself on the head _'Man I really am dumb sometimes'_ and ran to where she hoped he'd be.

"Took you long enough Montez" he said seeing her at the top of the stairs

"Sorry, but your right it is a good hiding place, last place I looked" she said sitting next to him

"I know, I saw you looking outside about 3 times" he told her

"So that _was_ you laughing, I thought you were in the bushes or something" she whined

He laughed; she tried to sustain a glare but started laughing with him

"So, I take it that this is why you were looking for me" he said handing her, bag to her

"Hmm, partly" she said taking her bag

He smiled knowing what she meant

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked

"Well, we have about half an hour until tutor, why don't we just hang around here" she suggested

"Good idea" he agreed

About 20 minutes later the gang started to arrive after looking everywhere (much like Gabriella) for them

"Finally, we've been looking everywhere for you, do you guys have any idea how many classrooms there are in this school?" Sharpay asked

"61 including the canteen, library, 2 playgrounds, tennis courts, boys and girls toilets, field, entrance, hall, gym, other gym, boys and girls changing rooms, and the caretakers bit" Gabriella answered.

"I was just going to say a lot, but okay" Sharpay told her

"How did you know that anyway?" Taylor asked?

"Because, I had to look for Troy earlier" They looked at her bewildered "He ran off and took my bag without me realizing" she explained

They all understood, they too had had something taken off of them by Troy.

"So that makes 62 places in this school" Troy said

"No, 61" Gabriella told him

"You didn't include here" he said

"...fine, you win" Gabriella said reluctantly

"Again" Troy smiled

She stuck her tongue out at him

He chuckled at her

_RIINNGG RRIINNGG_

"Ugh, tutor" Jason said

"Yep, oh and can you please stop asking her questions, seriously, we hear her voice enough when she's going on about nothing anyway" Sharpay asked in a damningly kind of way, but still kind of nice.

"Err, okay" he said, not really sure what she was going on about

"Thanks" she said perkily

They got into tutor on time

"Hello class, now you guys will be given your exam results today, instead of in lessons we are just going to give you a sheet with all your grades on them" Ms Darbus explained

They all murmured Okays

"Good, now Bolton, Banes, Cross, Danforth, Evans, Neilson, McKessie, Montez" She called out their names while handing them an A4 sized envelope, with their results inside.

They all opened them, some people had smiles on their faces, some you could hear groans, some you could hear the in between, you couldn't hear anything from Troy though, he had no emotion on his face, this wasn't unusual though.

When they got out of tutor the gang all had PE, like usual, and decided that they would go over their results, like usual

"So, how did you guys do?" Troy asked

"Great" Gabriella "I got A* for everything except PE and Food where I got an A"

"Same here except I got a B for Drama" Taylor said excitedly

"Pretty good" Chad said "A* for PE, the rest were B's and C's" Chad said

"A* for Drama, B for PE, Geography the rest A's" Sharpay told them

"Basically the same as Chad except B's and A's for the rest" Zeke told them

"Same as Chad" Jason said looking at his sheet

"Same as Sharpay" Kelsi said

"What about you man?" Chad asked

"Uh, yeah, good" he said

"Care to elaborate?" Gabriella asked

"Troy never elaborates more than that on exam results" Sharpay told her

"Why not?" Gabriella asked him

All of a sudden Coach Bolton came into the gym

"So, I see you all got your results back" Jack said

"I see you made it out of the house alive" Troy retorted

Everyone, apart from Gabriella, was confused by this statement.

"My grandparents are over for the week" Troy told them

They all nodded their heads in understanding and sympathy, they had met his grandparents.

"Dude, do you want to stay over mine?" Chad asked, knowing he'd go through hell; he had to stay over Troys while his parents were away for their anniversary, he had to spend only 3 days with them, and that was enough for him to want to tear his brains out.

"I'm sure he'd love to, but they want to meet Gabriella tonight" Jack came in before Troy had a chance to say yes

"Be strong Gabriella" Sharpay said holding her arm "We're here for you"

"Err...thanks...I think" Gabriella said worriedly

"Anyway, what did the basketball team get?" Jack asked, they all handed him their papers and he was happy with what he saw

"Troy?" he asked

He handed over his unwillingly

"Great job guys, you all get to stay on the team, now what about the girls?" he asked genuinely interested, he was with the guys, but also needed to make sure they could stay on the team

"Good job, you guys get to stay on with your clubs too, well done" Jack congratulated them

_'Why doesn't he want people to know what he's got, it's obviously good enough for him to stay on the team, hmm, I'll get it out of him later'_ she was pulled out of her thoughts when the whistle blew, signalling it was time to start.

Over the next hour they were doing trampolining, which is what they are going to be doing for the rest of term, which they were pretty happy about

After that Troy and Gabriella had History, she decided she'd ask about the exam results then

"So, you like trampolining?" Troy asked

"Yeah, it's fun" Gabriella smiled

"Yep, I love it" he smiled back

"Yeah, too bad Taylor didn't want to go on" Gabriella said being reminded of her friends' debate on why she didn't want to try.

"Yeah, but I guess people just don't like it" Troy said

"Yeah, I guess so" Gabriella said thoughtfully

"Okay class, settle down, today we are going to be studying the Vietnam War, which we are going to be continuing for coursework" their history teacher explained

Once they got settled into the work they were doing Gabriella decided to bring up the results

"Hey Troy?"

"Yeah Gabriella?" he said looking up from is work

"Do you want to compare exam results?" she asked innocently and sweetly

Troy laughed

"What?" she asked

"You only had to ask" he told her and gave her the sheet

"_WHOA!_" She said loudly enough, but the classroom was noisy anyway, so it didn't make much difference

"Whoa what?" he asked looking at the sheet again

"So, why don't you elaborate?" Gabriella asked shocked

"I don't know, I never have" he shrugged

"Ya-ha, okay then" she said unconvinced

"Anyway, looking forward to 6:15?" Troy asked

Gabriella had nearly forgotten all about meeting his grandparents

"Well, I'll be there" she said avoiding the actual question

Troy laughed

"Okay, is it me or are you laughing at me way too much today?" Gabriella asked

"Hmm, maybe you're just being especially funny today" Troy suggested.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Very mature" he said laughing

"As always" she giggled, he laughed with her

"Troy, Gabriella, may I ask what is so funny about the Vietnam War?" the teacher asked, all the students in the class were looking at them now

They stayed silent for a minute

"Well?" he asked waiting for an explanation

"Nothing" Troy said honestly not being able to think of anything

"Correct, so why are you laughing?" he asked

"Personal joke" Gabriella said hoping it would work

"Well please leave your personal life outside of this classroom in future thank you" he said, everyone got back to their own business after that

"That was weird" Gabriella said

"Yeah" Troy agreed.

Today went too fast for Troy and Gabriella; it was time for Gabriella to meet Troys Grandparents.

"Okay, if you want to make up an excuse for not going, speak now or forever hold your peace" Troy said as they were driving out of the school

"You make it sound like they're going to kill me" Gabriella laughed a bit

"I wouldn't put it past them" Troy thought aloud

She immediately stopped laughing

"You're joking, right?" she asked not knowing whether to take him seriously

Troy laughed

"They may be evil but don't worry not that evil, if they were do you think I'd let you meet them?" Troy asked rhetorically while recovering from laughing

"_EVIL!_" she shouted and started giggling, by the time they got to the house they were in laughing fits, and their parents and grandparents were in Troys front garden

"What's so funny?" Jack asked

"No...thi...ng" they said between laughs

They knew it wasn't that funny but they couldn't help it, when they were around each other they were so much happier, which meant everything was much more funny

"Well, now that your _finally_ here, let's meet and greeted shall we?" Troys Grandma (Ruth) said emphasising

"Grandma we told you we had stuff to do after school" Troy reminded her for the 3rd time that day

"Yes yes. So maybe we should go inside?" Ruth suggested not properly listening to him

They all agreed knowing they'd be going in one way or another

Ruth wanted the parents and Tami (Jack, Lucille and Ava) to go into the kitchen while she and Troys Granddad (Victor) spoke to Troy and Gabriella, none of them liked the idea, but all knew they weren't getting a choice

Once Ruth and Victor were settled they started

"So...how was school?" Victor asked

"Fine" They replied together

"And your test results?" Ruth asked sternly

"Good" They replied again

"Let's see your reports then" Victor asked less sternly

Troy got it out of his bag, Ruth held her hand out but he gave it to his granddad instead knowing it would annoy her

"Excellent Troy" Victor congratulated him

"Hmm, yes, well, maybe you could do a bit more to get over full marks, what is it you all call, extra credit?" Ruth said

All three of them looked at her

"What, it's true" she said standing her ground

"Grandma, you can't get above full marks, its full marks, the highest they can give you" Troy explained

"Yes, and as you can see, Troy did exactly that, see full marks" Victor pointed out

"Ah ah ah, maths he got one wrong, do you know that all the major colleges look at that one mark and have to debate on whether they should take you" Ruth warned "Especially if you want to be a journalist or maths teacher in your case"

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not going into that" Troy said getting frustrated

"Did you?" she asked

"Yes honey, he wants to go into basketball or other career paths." Victor told her

"Oh, right, well you need full marks" she warned

"Um, this was just a practice test, our real ones are next year" Gabriella said speaking for the first time having enough of her bringing Troy down.

"Well, he needs to do lots of revision, let's see yours then" she demanded

Gabriella was about to get her paper out, reluctantly, when Troy stopped her

"Sorry, you may be able to get mine, but there's nothing stopping her from not giving you her paper" he said seeing the reluctance on her face, they both knew she did really well, but Troy didn't want his grandmother bringing her down, he was used to it, he knew about her grandparents, but at least he could control his.

Gabriella smiled at Troy and sat back up without her report

"He's right, you know it" Victor said agreeing with Troy

"Right, well..." she said with a fake happy voice and fake smile "Let's talk about this little arrangement you guys have going on" Ruth said

They both frowned instantly; they knew what she was talking about when she said 'arrangement'

"Honey, I think there in a relationship" Victor said getting a bit frustrated himself

"Whose side are you on?" Ruth asked a bit tired of him always contradicting her

"There are no sides in family" Victor smiled knowing that would annoy her, but because she is who she is, she can't show it.

"Right, well, let's talk about your...relationship" she finally managed to say

"What do you want to know?" Troy asked sighing

"How long have you been dating?" she asked

"A month in 2 weeks" Troy answered, Gabriella smiled at the fact he remembered

"How much do you actually know about each other?" she asked

"A lot" Gabriella answered simply frustrated

"That doesn't answer my question" she said

"Well there not exactly going to tell us everything they know about each other" Victor told his wife

"And why not?" Ruth asked impatiently

"Because it's none of your business" Troy answered

Jack, Lucille, Tami and Ava were listening outside now

"Did he just say that?" Lucille whispered shocked

"Yeah...and get that smile off your face" Jack told her

All four laughed silently

"Shh" Ava said once she heard them talking again

"Troy David Alexander Bolton, who do you think you are?" she asked rhetorically

"Um...Troy David Alexander Bolton, son of Jack and Lucille Bolton, brother of Tami Violet Bolton, boyfriend of Gabriella Montez, basketball captain of the East High Wildcats..." he was about to carry on when...

"You weren't supposed to answer" Ruth said impatiently and very posh.

Victor, Troy, Gabriella, Lucille, Jack, Tami and Ava all had to hold in their laugh

"Well, why don't we..." Ruth was interrupted by Troys phone going off with the the tune Push It to the Limit, indicating it was Chad phoning "Don't answer that we are in the middle of a conversation" Ruth warned

"Hey Chad" Troy answered receiving a death glare from his grandmother

"Where do you want to meet?" Troy asked

"You are not going anywhere, we are not finished here" Ruth told him

"Yep, we'll be there in about 5 minutes" Troy told him, earning another glare from Ruth, while Victor looked on in amusement

"Okay, see you in a bit man" with that he hung up "Okay, well this was fun, but me and Gabriella need to go now, so see you later" Troy said heading for the door

The parents plus Tami raced for the kitchen

"Bye, nice meeting you" Gabriella said

They got half way up the street when they let out a sigh of relief

"Well at least that's over" Troy said

"Yeah, hey what does Chad want?" Gabriella asked

"Nothing, I asked him to phone to get us out" Troy told her

"Oh, good idea" she congratulated

"Thank you, but he did say they were all up Sharpays if we wanted to join them" he told her

"Hmm, up to you" she told him

"I don't care" he said smiling

She whined "Fine, we go to that place near Sharpays, so if they ring asking us where we are we will only be 10 minutes away" Gabriella suggested

"Sounds good to me" Troy agreed

They got there and got into a position and didn't move for the rest of the night, the gang didn't phone, well Chad was about to until Sharpay wrestled the phone out of his hand, but that's another story, they were really happy that they got away from Troys grandparents, because then they could just be themselves, without having to worry about being criticised about something, because they knew that no matter what happened they could always be themselves with each other.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Ok, again I really haven't changed a lot with this chapter._

_There are few I want to change a whole lot, most of them are just grammatical errors and spelling mistakes which hopefully I'm rectifying._

_Also, I'm hoping to do chapters I wanted to do but then couldn't because I took too long :(_

_Hope you like it :)_


	19. High School Musical

Troyella

**Chapter 19: High School Musical [Edited]**

When Troy woke up nervousness washed over him completely, today was the day of the musical, and his mum and dad had phoned his older sister Tori, who said she would not miss it for the world, he also had his older brother Terry and younger sister, Tami, and in all honesty they were fine in comparison to his grandparents. He was not looking forward to the criticism he would receive.

Gabriella was also feeling nervous, she didn't do well on stage, especially in front of a large audience, she was also exited, but more nervous knowing that her mum, was going to be there however, Troys grandparents, she was glad she didn't have hers to worry about.

She also knew they had the concert at P3 coming up, which meant they would have to go back down there and organise it officially. They had done there exams, thank god, but there were still decathlons and basketball games they had to prepare for, not going to be fun, but the sooner it's done, the sooner it's over, that's what she kept replaying over and over in her head

_KNOCK KNOCK_

Her bedroom door opened

"Hey" Troy smiled coming in, walking over to sit on her bed.

"Hey, since when do you come and get me?" she asked smiling herself

"Okay, I'll go back to the car and wait shall I?" he said smiling walking to her bedroom door

"Don't you dare" she giggled as she ran and jumped on his back, this caused him to lose his balance falling onto her bed, he quickly rolled off and they both burst into a fit of laughter on her bed

"Oww, that hurt" Gabriella said still laughing

"Really? Huh, lucky I had you to break my fall then, huh?" he said laughing himself

She whacked him playfully "Yes you are, but I could have gotten hurt" she pouted

"Aww, I'm sorry" he apologised kissing her pout away

"Your forgiven" she giggled

He laughed "Hate to dim the mood but we have to get to school" he said standing up holding his hand out

She took his hand "Yeah, but at least we have no lessons today" she smiled

"Yes, just half a day of singing and dancing, then home, or wherever to rehearse there" Troy said

"Kill-joy" she smiled

"No, I just don't give false hope" Troy said

"Mmhm, so your grandparents coming tonight?" Gabriella asked casually

"Yeah" he sighed "Nice acting by the way, I know that you don't want them there any more than I do" Troy said

"What makes you think that?" she asked avoiding eye contact

"If you can say that, making eye contact with me, then I'd believe you" He stated, turning to look her in the eye.

She looked at him, but stayed silent, which caused Troy to smile in victory

"Oh shut up" she laughed

By now they were round the corner from the school

"I didn't say anything" he smiled

He drove into the parking space he always did

"Troy, Gabriella, good your here, you can help with setting everything up for tonight" Ms. Darbus came from nowhere

"Um, what are you doing here?" Gabriella asked politely

"It's the day of the musical Miss Montez" She replied simply before walking into the school

"She still scares me, and I've been here nearly a month" Gabriella thought aloud

"That doesn't fade away until you leave, according to Tori and Terry" Troy explained

"So who does your sister have?" Gabriella asked

"My dad, but apparently our tutors are changing soon, we'll have different people from different year groups in one tutor" Troy explained

"So what does that mean, are we going to be separated" she asked urgently while they were walking into school.

"No, you, me and the gang will stay in the same tutor, unfortunately with Ms. Darbus, but Tami will be joining with seven of her friends" Troy explained

"I'm not sure Ms. Darbus will like having 2 Bolton's in 1 class" Gabriella teased

"Yep, more torture, which means more fun" Troy chuckled

"Hmm, sounds good in theory" Gabriella said

"Now who's the kill-joy?" He asked rhetorically

"I just use my brain" she told him

"Well it's about time, Montez" he smiled as she thought about what he said.

"HEY!" She yelled running after him when she got it, about to jump on his back when he turned around catching her instead.

"Now, we don't want me to lose my balance again do we?" he asked

She giggled

"That's what I thoug..."

"Bolton, Montez, would you stop...whatever you are doing...and HELP" Ms. Darbus practically yelled

Troy sighed and put Gabriella down, only for her to jump onto his back again

"Hey!" Troy said laughing

"Hey?" she smiled

Troy rolled his eyes playfully and walked to the 'theatre' as Ms. Darbus would call it, when they got there they found the whole gang there, and others that were in the play

"Hey guys" they said, Gabriella still on his back

"Hey, why are you on his back?" Sharpay asked amused at the sight before her

"No reason" Gabriella said

Just then, Jack and Tami walked into the room and stopped dead when he saw Troy and Gabriella

"Hey dad, hey Tami" Troy said casually

"Hey coach Bolton, hey Tami" Gabriella laughed

"I'm not even going to ask, I saw through Troys window what happened this morning, the only difference is that there's no bed as a way to break the fall" he said walking by

"Actually Gabriella broke my fall" Troy corrected and laughed as Jack through him a look saying 'Don't get smart with me' but in a playful way

"ANYWAY..." Sharpay caught everyone's attention

"Why are you here Mr Bolton?" Sharpay asked, everyone sighed

"Um, I'm in it, which means unfortunately I have to (a) help and (b) miss my lessons to be here

"Oh, good now we have Troy and Coach Bolton to help us with putting stuff up considering Zeke, as we have established, is a klutz, and Chad just can't be bothered" Sharpay explained happily

"How can you guys be so happy and able to carry another human being this early in the morning" Chad asked, not aware what Sharpay had said, mainly aiming the last one at Troy

"Because...he's...I got nothing" Taylor said defeated, also tired herself.

"Because we are generally happy people" Gabriella explained quite proud of herself

"Doesn't explain the second one TROY" Zeke said

"I'm happy and awake, and she's light" Troy told them, Gabriella still on his back

"Am not" Gabriella said not convinced

"Please, you are as light as a feather" Troy said

"Not true" Gabriella stated

"Oh, really?" Troy challenged

"Yes, really" Gabriella rose to it

"I'm willing to bet bet everyone in the gang, even Chad, are able to carry you all the way round the room twice without looking strained" Troy smiled

"They wouldn't" Gabriella said convinced

"Hmm, I think we should try it out" Sharpay said excitedly

"What?" Gabriella shrieked

"You heard me, now get off of Troy so the experiment can begin" Sharpay ordered

Gabriella did the opposite and tightened her grip on him; this made Jack, Tami even Ms. Darbus chuckle from where they were watching

"Gabriella" Sharpay said slowly

"What?" her voice came out muffled from her face being buried in Troys back

"Get off of Troy, now" she demanded slowly as she kept moving towards them

"No" she said muffled once again

Jack, Tami and Ms. Darbus were still smiling.

"Help me" Gabriella whispered pleading to Troy

He laughed and started walking back slowly, which no one had seemed to realize, he took that as a chance to run

"HEY!" Sharpay called after them and started running, but in a few seconds came back in

"Man, he's fast even with a human life attached to him" Sharpay sighed

"Oh well, we'll get her later" Taylor promised

Sharpay smiled and they got back to work

With Troy and Gabriella

"Troy, where are we?" she asked as he sat down, she got off his back

"My other hiding place, just in case Sharpay and the gang come looking" Troy smiled

"Oh, cool, no offence but I like the other one better" Gabriella said

Troy laughed "Me too, I don't see the point in doing this one up for only one more year, though I think I might for Tami, I'm not showing her the other one though, that's for when I come back sometimes, because something tells me that when I and my sister leave, I'm not never going to see this school again, if that makes any sense" Troy laughed

"Surprisingly yes it does, hey, mind if I help?" She asked

"Of course not" he smiled

"Yay!" she giggled

"So, how long do you want to hide out here for?" Troy asked after a couple minutes silence

"Forever?" she offered

He laughed "Well, until that day comes, how about we stay for another hour?" he suggested

She pouted "Fine" she gave up "2 hours?" she half asked half pleaded

"Hour and a half" he compromised

"Deal" she giggled

Hour and a half later in the 'theatre'

"Where have you guys been?" Chad asked

"Why are you fully awake?" Troy retorted

"Democracy says 7 - 2 which meaning you answer first" Taylor came in

"Ah, but free will states we don't have too" Gabriella retorted

"...not fair" Taylor gave in

"Anyway...did you really think we'd forget about the experiment Gabriella?" Sharpay asked

"Please, can we just drop it?" Gabriella pleaded

"Sorry, Taylor promised that we could" Sharpay said happily

"TAYLOR!" Gabriella half yelled

"Sorry" she said lamely

"Come on, it won't be that bad, and Troy can go first if it makes it easier for you" she exaggerated

"Let's get this over with" she grumbled

Troy practically sprinted around the room twice, making Gabriella shriek thinking he was going to drop her Chad couldn't be bothered, however, unlucky for Gabriella he just decided to walk Zeke nearly dropped her, though it didn't really count considering he tripped, though there was nothing to trip over Jason walked, bashing into a wall, meaning Gabriella also bashed her head, made it Sharpay skipped around the room Taylor, being who she was and what she thought, just walked And Kelsi, a little hesitant at first, carried her all the way round making sure she didn't drop or hurt her, or trip over

"I hope your happy now" Gabriella said sarcastically "Oww" she said afterwards, still reeling from her injuries, curling into Troy who put his arms around her.

"Yep, but Troys right, you're very light, put on a bit of weight girl" Sharpay practically yelled

"Err, is there a right way to respond to that?" she asked no one in particular

"No" The rest replied

"Enough 'fun'" she said putting quote signal on fun "Rehearsals is fun, now REHEARSE" She commanded

2 hours later at the beach

"I can't move, my feet hurt" Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Kelsi and Jason all said along those lines

"Oh come on guys, seriously, we still have a performance to do tonight, tomorrow, and the day after that" Troy reminded them

"Yeah, need to keep your energy up" Sharpay said perkily

"I think my energy has hit rock bottom" Chad grumbled clearly enough to understand

"Well then let's go for ice cream" Gabriella suggested

"Ice cream? Ice cream? ...ICE CREAM!" Chad immediately shot up

"What happened to having no energy?" Zeke asked while painfully getting up

"She said ice cream, I want ice cream, you promised ice cream" he directed the last one at Gabriella

"Why do I feel like it was a mistake saying ice cream?" she whispered to Troy watching Chad pull everyone off the sand

He chuckled a bit "Chad's a bit obsessed with ice cream" he said

"I guessed" Gabriella gulped

He laughed a bit more

"No fair, I didn't know" she complained

"Aww, don't be sad" he said in a baby voice

"ICE CREAM!" Chad shouted at the two

"OKAY!" They yelled getting up

"Let's go then" he ran off to Troys car

"I guess we're taking my car" Troy assumed

"Guess so" Gabriella agreed

**At the ice cream place**

"Got enough there?" Zeke asked Chad

He had a scoop of strawberry, mint chocolate chip, chocolate, caramel and Toffee

"How could I be so stupid" Chad slapped his head, everyone sighed in relief when he did that, he had waay too much "I forgot vanilla, I'll be right back" Chad ran off, with his bowl, to get the vanilla

"I swear, one day, he will not be so insane" Troy said

Chad came back with TWO bowls

"I swear he only had one when you left" Jason whispered

"Dude, what's with the extra bowl?" Troy asked

"I got vanilla, double chocolate and Oreo" Chad said excitedly

"You're going to be sick" Gabriella warned

"Yes mum" Chad answered sarcastically

"Hey, hey, hey, I am not your mum, if I was I'd have to clean up your sick, and there's no way in this lifetime or any other lifetime I am going to do that" Gabriella argued her case

"Okay" Chad said not really listening

"Fine then, don't listen, but seriously, don't say I didn't warn you."

"So, we have 10 minutes to get back to school, I think we should head back" Zeke suggested

"Yeah, good idea" Sharpay agreed

"But I haven't finished" Chad whined

Back at school

"Ah, excellent, you're here, now we can fit in one more rehearsal before we show" Ms. Darbus said frantically as they walked in

"I guess we're rehearsing" Kelsi said shocked, Ms. Darbus had said it was perfect when they left

"Well we should have known..." Troy started, they all looked at him "Where drama productions are concerned, nothing is ever perfect until the end" Troy finished

They all sighed and nodded in agreement and went on stage to rehearse

"Troy, Jack, you're up" Ms. Darbus called from back stage

"Let's get this over with" Jack mumbled

**Opening Night**

"Oh my God, I am so exited, Troy is doing something except from basketball, dad is in it, and the whole gang, something I could never have imagined happening, did anyone know Troy could sing?" Tori asked

"No we didn't, we still haven't heard him, he never lets us listen, and he is very happy both of you could make it" Lucille spoke to Tori and Terry.

"No problem, like we said over the phone, we wouldn't miss this for the world" Terry replied

"Oh, I hear Troy has a girlfriend" Tori suddenly remembered

"What?" Terry choked on his drink he was drinking "Why did I not hear about this?" he damningly asked

"Oh sorry Hun, I thought I told you" Lucille answered feeling guilty

"Who is she? What's her name? Where does she live? Do they go to the same school? Do they love each other? How did they meet? How did the..."

"Oh come on, your making it sound like she's going to kill him or something" Tori laughed at her over-protective brother

"Sorry, but I do like to know about things that are happening in my brother's life" Terry answered

"Okay, well, Her name is Gabriella Montez, she lives next door to us, they both go to East High, YES they love each other, they met through singing karaoke on New Year's Eve" Tami answered his questions.

"Wait, how do you know how they met?" Lucille asked

"I was there" Tami answered

"Is he a good singer?" Tori asked

"They're both amazing, you should have seen them, but from what Troy has told me, it's going to be done in this play so you'll get to see it like it happened anyway" Tami answered

"Awesome" Terry said excitedly

"What's the play called anyway?" Tori asked

"High School Musical" Lucille answered just as the lights dimmed

"Hello and welcome to this fine school, where today we will be entertaining and filling that void in your soul with the true art of acting, which is life itself" Ms. Darbus began

"Old bat hasn't changed one bit has she?" Terry asked rhetorically

"Nope" Tami laughed

"Now let's bring out the person, who without this production could never have been put on, Kelsi Neilson" Everyone clapped, Kelsi was shocked, they hadn't rehearsed this, the gang pushed her on stage, luckily, otherwise Ms. Darbus may have gone mad there and then

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this" Kelsi began, the audience laughed a bit "But, I guess, thank you very much, but honestly I couldn't have done it without the inspiration of two people, who love each other, who have never even fought since they've known each other, and you all know them, now if Ms. Darbus doesn't mind I'd like to bring my inspiration to the stage, please welcome Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez" Kelsi shouted applauding, with a sudden burst of confidence

Troy and Gabriella walked on stage hand-in-hand, while the audience cheered even more

"Coming on stage holding hands, who does that" Ruth whispered

"Who let her out of her cage anyway?" Terry mumbled so only Tori and Tami could hear, they burst into silent laughter

"Now Kelsi, we know who inspired you, but what about them inspired you?" Ms. Darbus asked putting her on the spot, luckily Kelsi had already thought about this

"Well, first of all it was the way they cared about each other, they never let anything get between them, and if one of them was upset or just drowning in pressure, the other one would always be there for them. Secondly, the way they instantly clicked, they are so comfortable around each other, and can always be themselves. Lastly the way they love each other, all you have to do is look at them and see that they will last forever, you can see it in their eyes, they look at each other as if they are the only ones in the room, like nothing can come between them, you look at them, when they are looking at each other, and you see instantly that they have found each other soul mate" smiles instantly broke out on Troy and Gabriella's faces, the audience was nearly in tears, Ms. Darbus was practically in tears, and even the gang were overwhelmed

"Well...wow I'm speechless" Troy answered really not knowing what to say "Thanks Kelsi" Troy finally said

"Nope, you guys inspired me, I should be thanking you" Kelsi answered

They all smiled, the gang came onto the stage and all formed a group hug with Troy, Gabriella and Kelsi squished in the middle, they broke out into laughter that was pretty contagious and spread through the audience

"Well, I introduce to you, High School Musical" Ms. Darbus introduced and so it began

**(Clips of songs and quotes)**

"This could be the start, of something new, it feels so right, to be here with you ooh, and now looking in your eyes, I feel in my heart, the start of something...Neww"

"Hey guys, happy new year"  
"Yeah, it's gonna be a happy wildcat new year man, cause we're going to the championships,  
with you, leading us to infinity and beyond"  
"What Team?" "WILDCATS!" "What Team?" "WILDCATS!" "What Team?" "WILDCATS!" "WILDCATS" "GET'CHA HEAD IN THE GAME!"

"We have a strict no cell phone policy here, and welcome to East High Miss Montez, Mr Bolton, I see your cell phone is out, I shall be seeing you in detention as well"

"I can't"  
"...believe it"  
"Well me"  
"...either, but how"  
"My mum's company transferred us here to Albuquerque, I can't believe you live here I looked for you at the lodge on your stable"  
"We had to leave first thing"

"Oh, were you going to sign up too...my brother and I have stared in all the schools productions, there are a lot of supporting roles in the show, I'm sure we can find something for you"

"You gotta Get'cha, get'cha, get'cha head in the game"  
"We gotta get'ta, get'ta, get'ta, get'ta head in the game"

"Doo doo da doo, do do dala do do, ah whoa oa oa"

"This feelings like no other, I want you to know, that I've never had someone, that knows me like you do, the way you do, and I've never had someone, as good for me as you, no one like you, so lonely before, I finally found, what I've been looking for"

"Where's my team Darbus?"

"Dad, have you ever wanted to try something, but it goes horribly wrong and you're afraid of what all your friends might think"

"If you wanna be cool, follow one simple rule, just stick to the stuff you know, stick to the status quo"

"Well I just embarrassed myself into the next century"  
"Noo"  
..."Your sons the basketball guy, you must be so proud. Only now I don't wanna be just the basketball guy, I just wanna be...a guy"  
..."To them I'm the play-maker dude"  
"Then they don't know enough about you Troy. I mean, at my school I was the freaky math girl, its cool coming here being...anyone I wanna be. When I was singing with you, I just felt like a girl"  
"You even looked like one too"  
"Do you remember in kindergarten, where you'd meet a kid, then 10 seconds later be playing with each other as if you were best friends, because you didn't have to be anyone but yourself, singing with you felt like that"  
"So, are we really going to do the call backs"  
"Hey, just call me, freaky call back boy"  
"You're a cool guy Troy, but not for the reasons your friends think"

"We were jerks; no we're worse than that because we were mean jerks"

"This could be the start of something new, it feels so right to be here with you, ooh, and now looking in your eyes, it could be the start of something...new, it's a pair's audition"

"Okay, now this is only going to happen, if we all work together, now who's in?"

"**D**-**R**-**A**-**M**-**A**-**C**-**U**-**L**-**B**-**EXCLAMATION POINT**"

"Yeah we're gonna bop bop bop, bop to the top"

"Wait, Ms. Darbus wait, we can sing"

"We're breaking free"  
"We're soaring"  
"Flying"

"East High are champions, congratulations East High"

"Congratulations wildcat"  
"Oh, what about your team"  
"We won too"  
About to kiss when "Hey, team voted you the game ball captain"

"Hey composer, here's your game ball, you deserve it, play-maker"

"Wildcats everywhere, wave your hands in the air, that's the way we do it lets get too it time to show the world"

"These cookies are amazing, the best things I've ever tasted, will you make some more for me Zeke"  
"I might even make you a crème Brule"  
"Oh"

Lights dim, audience goes into uncontrollable cheering

"Yes, it was amazing wasn't it?" Ms. Darbus asked as she walked out "Let's bring them back out shall we?"

As they re-appeared on stage the cheering got even louder

"Woo, go Troy. Hey, that's my brother"

"WOO"

"Come on!"

Were the kinds of things they were getting, at the moment they were between shocked and extremely happy?

"Celebration sleepover at my house" Kelsi suggested

"Hell Yeah"

**Off Stage**

"Oh my God, that was soo much fun, I can't believe how much I actually enjoyed myself" Gabriella said excitedly

"I know, it was amazing, you were so good, it was actually believable, the breaking up bit also, it kind of got me a bit freaked out" Troy laughed a bit

"Aww, don't worry, I still love you" she smiled

"Good, I'm glad, otherwise I might actually die without you" he said

"Now you're just exaggerating" Gabriella laughed

"I'm not exaggerating, ever since you came into my life, everything has been going right, I can't stop thinking about you when we're not together, do you have any idea how happy I was when I saw you the first day back at school?" Troy asked

"How happy?" she asked curiously

"This happy"

He kissed her with more passion than he ever had done, the kiss showed everything he felt for Gabriella, how much he cared for her, how much he loved her, how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her

"Wow" that was all she could say, she was speechless, though Troy knew she was happy with the unbelievably huge grin she had on her face.

"Now do you believe me?" he asked smiling

"Definitely, and just so you know, I would never, in a million years, ever think I could live without you, it's physically impossible" Gabriella reassured him

**Restaurant**

"Well guys, congratulations" Terry congratulated

"Yeah, it was seriously awesome" Tami agreed

"Yes, I have to admit, it was entertaining, but the audience were like animals, who goes that far in applauding them, a nice little clap will do fine" Ruth complained

"Sorry mother, but tonight you are not going to bring us down with your complaints" Lucille stated

"So, you guys are staying over Kelsi's?" Jack asked making sure it was alright

"Yeah, if that's okay?" Kelsi asked now making sure it was alright

"Yeah, it's fi..." Jack started

"No it isn't, you've just come up with this out of the blue, how do you know we don't have anything planned?" Ruth frantically asked

"We don't have anything planned, and Ruth you cannot control his life, his parents do that enough, he's 17 now, you can't have everything your own way, now tonight is a wonderful occasion, we got to see our grandson performing, and I will not let you tear this night apart because you want to be selfish and spoil everything for everyone" Victor made clear after finally having enough

There was an awkward silence until the waitress came

"Hello, have you decided on what you would like"

They all ordered there food, by the time that was done conversation gradually started to progress.

**Kelsi's house**

"Oh my God, tonight was amazing, ultra amazing, super amazing, wonderfully amazing, amazingly amazing" Sharpay gushed as she crashed through Kelsi's bedroom door

"Wow, that was 6 amazing in one sentence" Ryan said

"Sorry but it was soo amazing, squeal"

"Aahh, warn us when you're going to do that please" Gabriella whined making sure she wasn't deaf

"Sorry, but come on" Sharpay said trying to defend herself for being exited

"It was pretty cool, and you guys were awesome, and Kelsi what you said about us at the beginning, and my Grandmother finally got put in her place, I have to say it was a perfect night" Troy agreed

"THANK YOU!"

They all laughed

"So, let's get this celebration sleepover started shall we?" Taylor suggested

On their way back they bought junk food, sweets, chocolate and drinks, they really only wanted one of each, however, Chad decided to be sneaky and buy another.

"I don't know if I've ever seen Ms. Darbus so happy" Jason commented

"I know, she was like in tears at the beginning, and at the break up scene, and then literally smiling all the way through it, I'm surprised she actually managed to keep a straight face when she was on stage doing her part" Zeke agreed

"It's just been a generally awesome night" Kelsi said

"Definitely, now all we have to get through is, the concert, then the tests and then we'll be at the top of the school" Sharpay squealed

They didn't mind this time, they just laughed along with her

"Yeah, it's going to be awesome next year" Troy agreed

"Definitely, I the only thing I'm dreading is the harder they'll make us work" Taylor sounded worried

"Come on, you'll do great, we'll all do awesomely" Troy stated to everyone

"Yeah, and we'll have each other's backs, no matter what happens" Sharpay stated her own

"And, no-one or nothing will ever come between us" Gabriella said

"Promise?" Kelsi said putting her hand in the middle of them all

"Promise" They all said putting their own on top

"WILDCATS!" They all yelled throwing their hands up

They all laughed

"So, the concert, tomorrow we have a day off school, how about we go to P3"

"Yeah that sounds cool" They agreed, while Troy and Gabriella looked utterly confused

"Um, why do we have the day off?" Gabriella asked

"Oh yeah, you guys were off in a corner, just... like... there, and Ms. Darbus said that because we worked so hard, we should have the day off" Zeke explained

"Ooh, okay cool" They replied at the same time

"Now that's freaky" Chad exclaimed

"It's not freaky, it's sweet, bet they can finish each other's sentences as well" Taylor said confidently

"I'll take you up on that" Chad agreed stupidly

Everyone, except Troy and Gabriella, groaned

"Um, excuse me, but can you guys, please, not bet on our relationship" Troy asked rhetorically

"Yeah, agreed, it's kind of freaky" Gabriella said afterwards

"Oh, but its fun, and the girls always win" Sharpay said before she thought

"WHAT!" Troy and Gabriella screamed

"You bet on our relationship" Gabriella asked frantically

"Only like, I bet they'll be together by the end of the week, or, I bet he's going to ask her to be his girlfriend, or, I bet within a week they'll say they love each other, or, I bet by the end of the week they'll have kissed more than 10 times, just basic stuff like that" Taylor told them trying to make it sound like not such a big deal.

"Oh" Gabriella sighed sarcastically

"Guys, please don't do it again" Troy pleaded "It feels like your stalking us" he said hoping it would work

"Yeah, okay" the gang sighed

"Thank you" they said

The rest of the night was just filled with laughter, they had just performed in a play, with their best friends, and they thought life couldn't get any better than this, and can't wait for what life may throw at them next, because in the end, whether good or bad, they knew they could get through it if they had each other, because to them, they would be best friends forever.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Alright, hopefully you all like this chapter, not much I felt needed to be changed :)_

_Hope you all like it :)_


	20. P3

Troyella

**Chapter 20: P3 [Edited]**

"Come on guys wake up, its 10:30" Kelsi's little brother came bashing on the door

"Uuhh, remind me to kill him" Kelsi groaned

"Can I help?" Sharpay yawned

"There will be no kid butchering in my presence" Zeke said

"Please, it'll be painless" Chad promised

"As much as I want to, I do not want to go to jail" Zeke yawned himself

"We'll keep it quiet" Jason promised

"Guys, you don't really want to kill him" Taylor came into the conversation

"We can dream can't we?" Ryan pleaded

Taylor was about to speak when she noticed something "Where's Troy and Gabriella?" she asked

"TROY, GABRIELLA, WAKE UP!" They herd Kelsi's little brother (Bobby) scream

"Bobby?" Kelsi shouted

"Yeah?" he skipped into the room

"Where are Troy and Gabriella?" she asked him

"In the guest room, I saw them sleeping through the key hole, they won't get up though" he whined

"Don't worry little man, we'll get them up" Jason told him

"YAY!" He shouted with excitement and skipped downstairs

They laughed "Your brother's safe Kelsi" Sharpay told her still laughing

"Nice to know" she smiled

"So, why are they in the guestroom?" Taylor asked

"Don't you remember?" Ryan asked

"No" she said thinking back to last night

"We kicked them out because they were talking constantly about _how much they loved each other, and wanted to be with each other for the rest of their lives, and planning their next date_" Chad said in a high pitched voice

They laughed

"Yeah, they went out, but they were joking, I thought they would have come back in" Sharpay stated

"Yeah, they must have fallen asleep before they could" Zeke suggested

"Maybe, but there's no lock on that door so how about we wake them?" Kelsi suggested

"WAIT!" Sharpay put everyone to a halt

"I want my camera, I took pictures of their conversation last night, without the flash, so I'm in a picture Troyella mood" She stated getting her camera

"Troyella?" Taylor asked confused

"That's their name for when I'm talking about both of them from now on, Troy and Gabriella is too long" she defended

"Wonder what they'll think if they find out about it?" Chad wondered

"Don't know, they may not, we'll have to wait and see won't we" She said

"Okay, come on then, pictures, then we'll wake them up" Kelsi said

They agreed

They opened the door and found them unaffected by Bobby's noise, still sound asleep

"Aww my God, they look so cute" Sharpay gushed

"I know, they are soo made for each other" Taylor silently squealed

"Duh, they are soo sweet" Kelsi said, while Sharpay was taking pictures throughout the conversation

They guys didn't see what all the fuss was about

"Can we wake them now?" Chad asked

"One more photo, and, done!" she said running into Kelsi's room opposite and running back again

"So, how should we wake them?" Chad asked excitedly

"You sound like Bobby" Kelsi laughed

"So?" he asked confused about what was so bad about that

"You do know he's 5 don't you?" she asked

"Yeahh..."

"ANYWAY..." Sharpay said changing topic

"So, should we scream Troyella and jump on the bed at the same time?" Chad asked excitedly as if he'd wanted to do it his whole life

They gang laughed silently

"Yeah"

"Okay"

"Shh, we're going to wake them" Zeke said

"Okay, so who's going on the bed?" Jason asked

"Not me" Taylor said

"Me" Chad volunteered

"Me" Sharpay volunteered

"Not me" Kelsi said

"Not me" Jason said

"Not me" Zeke said

"Not me" Ryan said

"Okay, Chad and I will jump on the bed, while we scream Troyella, wake up. Agreed!"

"Agreed" they all said

They crept to the edge of the bed, it was king size, Chad and Sharpay got on at the same time so the weight would be about equal

"1...2...3" Sharpay mimed

"WAKE UP TROYELLA, WAKE UP TROYELLA, WAKE UP!" Troy and Gabriella were shocked, they had just been woken up, Chad and Sharpay were jumping on the bed, Zeke had stolen their pillows, Kelsi and Jason were shaking them, Taylor was trying to steal their covers, they were being called Troyella

"What's going on" Gabriella asked Troy kind of scared

"No clue" Troy said equally scared

"TROYELLA WAKE UP" They were still screaming

Gabriella was nearly falling off the bed, she managed to catch onto Troy, who willingly held onto her until they decided to stop

"When are they going to stop?" She asked

"WAKE UP"

"Have they gone blind?" Troy asked

Gabriella got an idea, she whispered it into Troys ear, he grinned, the gang were too caught up in what they were doing they didn't notice this

"1...2...3"

They immediately jumped up, making Taylor fall backwards when she got the covers from them, Sharpay was caught by Zeke, Chad fell into some beanbags

Troy and Gabriella laughed, after making sure they were okay

"Not funny, we could have gotten hurt" Sharpay said

"Oh, and we couldn't have gotten hurt with you all jumping on us" Troy asked

"Chad's idea" she defended herself

"HEY!" they looked at him "I am not a 5 year old" everyone except Troy and Gabriella laughed

**Downstairs**

"So, I see you're all up"

"Morning Mrs Neilson" They all said

"Thanks for letting us stay" Troy thanked her, he had more to be thankful for, with his Grandmother being over.

"No problem, oh and well done, you guys were fantastic last night

"Thanks" they all said

"So, any plans for today?" she asked

"Yeah, we're going to P3 about the concert" Kelsi told her mum

"Well have fun, I have to get to work, see you all soon" she waved goodbye

"Bye" they all called out

"So where's your dad?" Sharpay asked Kelsi

"He's probably at work already" she told her

"Oh okay" Sharpay said

"So, what do you guys want for breakfast?" Kelsi asked

"What do you have?" Troy asked

"Erm, no idea, look through the cupboards while I make some drinks, Sharpay and Ryan strawberry smoothie, Troy and Gabriella chocolate milkshake, Zeke, Chad and Taylor vanilla milkshake, me and Jason strawberry milkshake, correct?" She asked making sure

"Yep" they smiled

"Okay, and to eat we can either have cereal, toast, waffles or pancakes" Troy told them

"I'll have cereal" Taylor told him

"Me too" Kelsi said

"I'll have toast" Sharpay said, followed by Zeke and Ryan

"I'll have waffles" Chad told him, followed by Jason

"And I'll have pancakes" Gabriella smiled

"Okay so that's 2 cereals, 3 toasts, 2 waffles and 2 pancakes" Troy said making sure

"Yep" they all agreed

"Okay" he did the cereals first, toast second, then the waffles and then the pancakes

"Thanks" they all said when they got their breakfast and drinks.

"No Problem" They replied eating their own plates and bowls.

**P3**

"HELLO?" Troy called out as the gang walked down the stairs

"Hey, we're down here" Leo called up "Hey guys, I'll be back in a second, I have to put these boxes outside, Piper, Phoebe and Paige are at the bar" He told them

"Thanks" they replied

"Hey, so has everything been sorted?" Piper asked referring to the dates and songs

"Yeah, we've decided Saturday and Sunday on the last week of school, and we know what songs we are going to do to" Sharpay told her

"Great" Phoebe smiled "Do you want to rehearse here today? That's if you haven't got to get back to school"

"No, we did a musical last night so they're letting us have the day off and yeah sure if that's OK?" Troy asked making sure

"Lucky you, yeah its fine go ahead" Piper told them directing them to the instruments

"Thanks, just so you know we've decided to do covers for the majority of the concert, with our school life being so hectic at the moment we haven't had much time to come up with originals."

"That's fine" Phoebe told them "Just put your own spin on it and do it with confidence"

Sharpay decided that she would be the first to grace the stage.

**Sharpay Evans**

Dangerous – Cascada

What a Girl Wants – Christina Aguilera

Only Girl (In the World) – Rihanna

Bad Boys – Alexandra Burke

From Paris to Berlin - Infernal

Everyone in the room started cheering her performances; of course Sharpay took it all in stride, the applause inflating her ego.

"So, who's next?" Piper asked

"Hmm, I think Miss Gabriella Montez should go next, who agrees?" Troy asked innocently

"Hey, no, please no, not yet anyway" Gabriella pleaded

"Gabriella's next" Taylor told Piper

"Evil, pure evil" She mumbled getting on to the stage

"What was that?" Taylor asked playfully sternly

"Nothing" Gabriella responded in an innocent high pitched voice

They laughed

_**Gabriella Montez**_

_Scars – Allison Iraheta_

_Truly, Madly, Deeply – Cascada_

_Parachute – Cheryl Cole_

_Firework – Katy Perry_

_Runaway Horses – Belinda Carlisle_

Everyone cheered, Troy the loudest winking as she walked off the stage.

"That was awesome!" Kelsi told her

"Thanks, guys" she said a bit embarrassed

"Who next?" Paige asked

"I'll go" Chad volunteered

They all looked at him

"Might as well get it over and done with, but I'm gonna need Troy, Zeke and Jason" he smiled

The girls laughed while the guys glared, knowing that was the only reason he volunteered to go up in the first place.

"Come on" Chad laughed

The guys groaned and walked up with him discussing which ones they should go up for

_**The Boys**_

_The Flood – Take That_

_Livin' on a Prayer – Bon Jovi_

_Whispers in the Dark - Skillet_

_Heart Vacancy – The Wanted_

_Love You More – JLS_

"I'm sure they know, but the song 'Love You More' is being sung for our girls" Troy told them.

The girls grinned at this, it was probably one of the sweetest songs ever written, and though they may not have written it, they chose it especially for them.

"Who next?" Phoebe asked eager to see more

"Yeah, Troy and then Troy and Gabriella and then you're last up" Zeke told him

"Wait, what about you guys?" Troy asked

"Hello, time space, not enough time, have you seen the time?" Zeke asked

Piper, Paige, Phoebe and Leo we're amazed by the talent they all had, and how good friends they all were

"Okay, so you guys are last for the night?" Piper asked

"Yeah, sorry for keeping you so long" Troy apologised, it was around 2am and Troy had just noticed the time.

"No problem, now carry on" Phoebe urged wanting to hear more

_**Troy Bolton**_

_Fireflies [UK] – Owl City_

_Hero – Enrique Iglesias_

_If You Could Be Anywhere – Tom Felton_

_Beautiful Soul – Jesse McCartney_

_Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars_

_**Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez**_

_Still There For Me – Corbin Bleu & Vanessa Hudgens_

_Right Here, Right Now – Troy Bolton & Gabriella Montez_

_Just Wanna Be With You – Troy Bolton & Gabriella Montez_

_Everyday – Troy Bolton & Gabriella Montez_

_You are the Music in Me – Troy Bolton & Gabriella Montez_

They all cheered loudly, most of these songs had meaning personal to them or were just generally good songs.

"Troy, don't you have one more" Sharpay said, sweetly.

"Oh it's fine, really Sharpay I think we've taken enough of their time"

"It has to be a girl right?" Chad asked urgently

"Erm, yeah think so" Troy answered, nocturnally.

The guys sighed in relief and sat back down

"Troy Bolton, you're coming home now" He froze stiff and had the deathliest glare on his face

"Mother, he's with his friends, let's just go down and wait" Came his mum's voice

"Don't you talk to me like that" Ruth yelled

"Oh shut it mum..." they were arguing, as usual, while Tami, Terry, Tori and Jack came down the stairs

"Dad, it's just one more" Troy told him

"Okay, LUCILLE COME DOWN, HE ONLY HAS one MORE TO GO" He yelled TO his wife

"Okay, mum, dad, come on" She said reluctantly

The Bolton Family and Troys grandparents took a seat on the sofa

"Actually, Tami, we could use you" Sharpay said looking at the lyrics for the last of the songs

"Why?" She asked hesitantly

"Just, go on to the stage, and sing this" Sharpay gave her the lyrics while the guys carried her on to the stage knowing she'd make a run for it

"Do I have a choice?" Tami asked on the stage

"No" They gang replied

"Fine" She sighed

**Troy and Tami Bolton/ Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus**

_Troy  
She's gotta do what she's gotta do And I've gotta like it or not She's got dreams too big for this town And she needs to give 'em a shot Whatever they are_

_Tami  
Looks like I'm all ready to leave Nothing left to pack Troy  
There ain't no room for me in that car Even if she asked me to tag along Miley & Billy  
God I gotta be strong_

_Tami  
I'm at the startin' line of the rest of my life As ready as she's ever been Got the hunger and the stars in my eyes The prize is mine to win Troy  
She's waitin' on my blessings before she hits that open road Baby get ready Tami  
Oh I'm ready Troy  
Get set Don't go_

_Tami  
looks like things are fallen into place Troy  
Feels like they're fallen apart I painted this big ol' smile on my face To hide my broken heart If only she knew Tami  
This is where you don't say what you want so bad to say Troy  
This is where I want to but I won't get in the way Of her and her dreams And spreadin' her wings_

_Tami  
I'm at the startin' line of the rest of my life As ready as I've ever been Got the hunger and the stars in my eyes The prize is mine to win Troy  
She's waitin' on my blessings before she hits that open road Baby get ready Get set Don't go_

_Tami  
I'm at the startin' line of the rest of my life Troy  
It'll be alright Tami  
As ready as I ever been Got the hunger and the stars in my eyes The prize is mine to win I'll be OK Troy  
She's waitin' on my blessings before she hits that open road Baby get ready Get set Please don't go Don't go Tami  
let me go now right now I'll be alright, I'll be OK know that I'll be thinking of you each and every day Troy  
She's gotta do what she's gotta do She's gotta do what she's gotta do Tami  
Oh I've gotta do what I've gotta do_

_Both  
Get Ready, Get Set, Don't Go_

Everyone cheered thunderously.

"That was so awesome, you have to sing that at the actual thing" Sharpay told them

They smiled

"You have to sing that at any chance you get, it was brilliant" Zeke said

"Well done guys, that really was great" Their family, including their grandparents were shocked and proud.

"Thanks" They said, they looked at each other and laughed

"Who made the song up?" Jack asked

They all looked at Troy

"Hey, it's 2:30am, we should really be letting you close, let's go" Troy started walking

They laughed as he walked up the stairs _VERY_ quickly

Gabriella ran after him smiling

"Hey" she called when he was within ear shot

"Hey" he replied stopping for her to catch up

"You walk way too fast" she said pausing to catch her breath

He laughed

"Come on, we're going to have to walk home" Troy said remembering they brought Sharpays car.

She groaned "Fine" she sighed

He laughed

"Can we stop off at the park first?" She asked

He smiled "Yeah sure" he answered

"YAY!" she yelled happily hugging Troy

He laughed, hugging her back.

"Are you laughing at me?" She asked

"Yes, I am" he said looking at her

She pouted, he laughed even more at this.

They were in a comfortable silence just walking under the stars

"It's really starry tonight" Gabriella commented

Troy gave her a weird look "Okay that was kind of random" he said

"Well, look up, it is" she said still looking at them

He sighed and looked at the stars and smiled

"Wow" he breathed

"See, told you" she giggled

"Mhmm, come on" he said

"Where are we going?" she asked

"We are going to the park, see" he pointed across the road

"Oh yeah" she smiled

They found their spot under the tree and stayed there looking up at the stars

"I love you" Troy said randomly

She smiled, she loved it when he did things like that, just be really randomly sweet

"I love you too" she replied

He smiled this time; he loved hearing those words come out of her mouth, just as he loved saying them to her.

He turned and gave her a short, but sweet kiss, when they pulled back they smiled at each other and looked at the stars again in a comfortable silence, thinking about how lucky they were to have met each other, how much they loved each other, and how they knew that they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Ok, I changed all of the songs because I prefer these ones now :) Also the other ones were OK but it was getting a little frustrating reading it and having some doing others songs. So I decided to do it this way :)_

_Hope you like it :)_


	21. Rubbish Catwalk

Troyella

**Chapter 21: Rubbish Catwalk [Edited]**

Troy was unusually happy this morning, he didn't know why, he knew it would be back to regular school, but he honestly didn't care. All he could actually think about was Gabriella, he didn't know what was happening to him, and he didn't know whether he should be scared by it or not, but he knew that he wasn't going to let that interfere with anything.

Gabriella was also happy, but hey, what did she have to be sad about, yeah sure they were going back to school, but she had awesome friends and the most amazing boyfriend, her mum had promised no more moving, she had decided for the first time in her life, that if she had to move, she would stay, there was no way in hell she would ever move from here, the only places she would go were with her friends and boyfriend, that's it, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

_Hey babe,_

_I'm waiting outside for you, sorry it's a little earlier, don't have breakfast_

_Troy xxx_

She smiled, and skipped down the stairs, said bye to her mum and ran to Troys car.

"Hey" She smiled getting in

"Hey, you look nice" he complimented

She thanked him

"You're welcome" he said

"So, why can't I have breakfast, I'm hungry" she said holding her stomach

He laughed

"Don't worry, you'll have food in you soon" He promised

"Good good" she smiled "So, where are we going?" she asked

"A new place that has just opened up it's called _Anything and Everything_" he told her

"Okay, sounds good" she smiled

They got there and ordered there, sat down and looked at the menu.

"Wow, the name doesn't lie" Gabriella said

"I noticed" Troy laughed

They ordered their food and waited.

"So, back to regular school today" Gabriella said

"Yep, back to the world of rules, regulations and boredom" Troy said

Gabriella laughed "I'm surprised _'learning'_ isn't in one of them" she joked

"Eh, ahh well, what you doing _after_ school anyway?" he asked

"Nothing that I know of" she replied

"Well now you are" he smiled

She was confused "So, where am I going?" she asked

"You'll see" he said as the food came

"Fine" she exaggerated

They drove to school and saw the gang outside.

"Hey guys" they called walking up to them hand in hand

"Hey, okay, so it's the last week of term, then summer, then we're in our last year of High School" Sharpay said excitedly

"Whoa, don't, that's freaky" Kelsi said

"Then off to college" Sharpay went on

"Oh God" Kelsi sounded like she was going to throw up.

"Come on, it's not that bad Kelsi, and besides, we'll all stick together, right?" Troy comforting Kelsi a bit.

"Yeah, of course" They all agreed

They continued talking about their future for a while on their way to tutor.

"Nice to see you all back, now as you know it's the last week of school, so during the week the school will be split into three groups between this tutor and a tutor from the year below, and we will have activities" Ms. Darbus explained "So, pick a person that you definitely want to stay with" She told them.

The gang all turned to each other, choosing their partners.

Troy and Gabriella,  
Sharpay and Zeke,  
Chad and Taylor,  
Kelsi and Jason,  
Ryan and Melissa, who was in their Drama class.

"Good, now, some of you will get mixed up, but you'll be put with friends" She said, the class frowned

"Troy and Gabriella, together" they sighed in relief "Zeke and Chad, you'll be swapped and Taylor McKessie will be swapped, Kelsi and Jason, together" they were relieved "Ryan and Melissa, together" they were okay with that

"_Red Team_ Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez, Sharpay Evans and Chad Danforth  
_Year below _- Tami Bolton, Kevin Baker, Jenny Danforth and Harry Banes"

"_Blue Team_ Kelsi Neilson, Jason Cross, Zeke Baylor, Karen Hans and Darren Roman,  
_Year below_ - Thomas Cross, Jessie Nickel, Zac Campbell and Kaitlin Fair."

"_Green Team_ Ryan Evans, Taylor McKessie, Melissa Gatelow, Poppy Randy and Collin Banes,  
_Year Below_ - Gregory Gatelow, Jamie Crush, Robbie Nashua and Alex Rescale"

Though some weren't the original choices they intended, everyone seemed to be satisfied with the groups they were put in.

"OKAY" She yelled when she was finished

Everyone turned their attention back to their teacher.

"Okay, now, go to your designated teachers for the day, they should be on the notice board in the hallway." She told them

"Man, we have Darbus tomorrow, that's not good" Chad complained

"Yeah, I know, come on, let's get to this Rubbish Catwalk thing" Troy suggested

They all agreed

"Hello, now, as you know this is rubbish catwalk, this is where you get rubbish and make clothing out of it, then afterwards you do a catwalk to the rest of the people in your team from the other years" He explained

That didn't sound too bad

"Now, fabrics over here, safety pins over there, paper and pens for your designs on the front table, any questions? No...Good, get started then" He told the class

Gabriella got the paper and pens, Sharpay got the fabrics, Troy made sure she wouldn't only get pink, and Chad got some safety pins.

"Hey Troy!" Tami called him to their table

"Hey Tami, what's up?"

"Eh, nothing much, where are the others?" she asked

"I'm here" Gabriella came over with paper and pens, one in each colour.

"Hey Tami, how's my little sis?" Chad asked setting down the pins

"Yeah I'm goo...is that Sharpay?" Tami asked

They looked over to see Sharpay with a huge bundle of fabric (light pink, dark pink, middle pink, blue, sky blue, red, purple, white and black)

"Whoa, Sharpay, what do you think we're making?" Troy asked, taking half from her so she could actually see where she was walking

"Well, I don't know, that's my point" Sharpay said setting the rest on the table

"Well, who's getting dressed up?" Tami asked

"Well, there's eight of us right?" Chad started

"Yeah..." Troy answered wondering where this was going

"So, maybe, two from our year, and two from your year should go up" Chad suggested

"Excellent, I am so definitely up" Sharpay said

"Okay, cool, that means I'm not, so Troy or Chad has to go up" Gabriella said

"Well, I think it should be Chad, considering he's Sharpays partner" Tami suggested

"I couldn't agree more" Troy agreed, thankful for his sister.

"Why do you too have to be so damn close?" Chad asked, mostly himself

Tami and Troy shrugged

"So, who out of you guys are going up?" Troy asked

"I'm not" Tami said immediately

"Damn, that means I am" Jenny whined

"Aw, come on, you guys can do like a brother sister thing" Sharpay said

Sharpay sucked in a breath "I have a brilliant idea" She gushed

Troy and Tami glanced at each other, knowing this wouldn't be good

"Okay, instead of me going up, how about Troy and Tami and Chad and Jenny, that way it really could be like a brother sister thing" Sharpay squealed at her brilliance

"What? But what about you?" Troy and Tami asked

"Doesn't matter, come on, okay, Gabriella, you do the designing with Harry and Kevin. You four follow me, we can take pictures for the slide show, and you guys can record that _Get Ready, Get Set, Don't Go_ song you sang last night onto it, this is going to be awesome" Sharpay said walking off

Troy shrugged "I guess I'll see you later" Troy told Gabriella

"See you" they gave each other a quick kiss before Troy and the rest followed Sharpay.

"Okay, all four of you, go under that tree and brothers hug your sisters" she ordered

They sighed and did as she asked; this was going to be a long day after all.

_Back with Gabriella_

"I don't see why I should have to do this, my daddy owns several companies' around the world, working with peasant stuff, he will be outraged" Harry ranted on

Gabriella rolled her eyes and carried on drawing

"Now you, girl who's drawing" Harry said not even asking her name

"Um, my name is Gabriella" She said in a patient voice

"Yes yes, whatever, I bet you're used to doing this kind of work, I mean look at you, you know exactly what you're doing, and your clothes" he leant over to put his hand on hers "It's okay, you're parents probably can't afford to buy extravagant stuff for you" he said in a sarcastic sincere tone

Gabriella looked at him "If you dare, ever, talk about my family again, you'll have more to worry about than working with peasant stuff" she said in a low deathly voice, this immediately made him back away however, Gabriella decided she didn't want to be near him for another second. She got up and walked out of the classroom.

_Back with Troy, Tami, Chad, Jenny and Sharpay_

"Okay, Chad and Jenny, I think you're done, so you can go back and help Gabriella" Sharpay said looking through the photos

"Now, you too, you guys are close anyway, so just do brotherly sisterly poses, okay" she started, they were actually pretty good

With Chad and Jenny

"Hey, where's Gabriella?" Jenny asked

"Idiot over here, decided to moan about today, but did he stop there, no, he basically said that her family were poor filth" Kevin said angrily, he had already yelled at him but was still fuming, even though he barely knew Gabriella.

"What the hell" Jenny yelled

"Who the hell do you think you are" Chad yelled, restraining himself knowing he couldn't do anything as the kid was younger than him.

_With Gabriella_

She was pretty upset by what this guy had said to her, she knew it wasn't true, but she hated it when people spoke about her family like that.

She was walking around when she noticed Sharpay taking pictures of Troy and Tami, she couldn't help but laugh, they were always there for each other, nothing would ever get between them. She smiled, just like her and Troy. She wished it could be the same for her relationship with her little sister, but she travels with her dad, like Gabriella travels with her mum

She noticed Troy looking in her direction, he whispered something to Tami, and she looked up and nodded to Troy.

"Hey" he greeted when he reached her

"Hey" her voice still a bit weird

"What's up?" he asked concerned

"Nothing I'm being stupid" she told him

"If it matters to you it matters" he said.

She laughed recognising the quote from somewhere.

"Come on" he said, glad he got her to cheer up a bit

She told him what Harry said to her

"Where is he?" he said, about to go off searching

"Troy, you are not going to beat up a guy in the year below us" she told him

"Well, what do you expect me t...wait, so if I was in his year I could?" he asked

"I didn't say that, but it wouldn't be as ba...where are you going?" she asked going after him

"Tami, do you know that Harry guy?" he asked

"Yeah" she said in a disgusted voice "Why?" she asked

"Nothing, no reason" Gabriella said

Tami looked at her "What did he say?" she asked

Troy, Tami and Sharpay looked at her

She sighed and told them

"I'm going kill him" Sharpay said

"If I'm not allowed, neither are you" Troy told her unwillingly

"Well, that's because you guys are a year older" Tami said

"What are you thinking?" Troy asked

She didn't say, she just started walking in the direction of the classroom

"Troy, I don't want her to get in trouble because of me" Gabriella said worriedly

"Tami, wait up" he called

"Troy, I know you love Gabriella, and I'm not going to let him get away with this, I know you're only stopping me because you or Gabriella doesn't want to get me into trouble, I know that if it were the other way round, you wouldn't listen if I said stop, because you're my brother, we always have each other's backs, when one of us can't do something the other one does, that's the way it has always been, don't change that now" Tami begged

Troy didn't know what to say "Tami, I know I would do it for you, and I know that this is what has always happened, and I don't want that to change, but I also don't want you getting into trouble, yes I want to beat the hell out of this kid, yes I want you to do it, but I don't want you to get into trouble, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me, imagine what dad would do?" he said trying to convince her

"If it were the other way round, you know you'd feel how I feel, you know you wouldn't care about getting into trouble, or what dad thinks, all you would want is to make sure the person got what was coming to them for what they did" Tami said

"Yes I know, but Tami..."

"No, please Troy, Gabriella has become like a sister to me, and I know you love her and it kills you not to be able to do anything, well I can, just let me"

"Well, isn't there a better way, so none of us can get into trouble, or at least both of us?" he asked

She was interested "Why would it be good for both of us?" she asked

"Because then I wouldn't feel guilty and you wouldn't hate me"

She laughed "Okay, I wouldn't hate you, but what did you have in mind?" she asked

"What's his worst fear?" he asked her

"His _daddy_ losing his business, him being poor, public humiliation" suddenly she stopped, they smiled

"I think we may need some help" Tami warned

"I'm in" Sharpay said coming round the corner, her and Gabriella had been listening throughout the whole thing.

"Where's Gabriella?" Troy asked

"Round there" Sharpay told him

"Thanks" he went in the direction Sharpay pointed to and found Gabriella

"Hey" he said quietly

"I don't want anyone to get into trouble because of me" she said with silent tears coming down her cheeks

"Hey" he said sitting next to her pulling her into a hug while her tears stained his shirt "It's our choice, we don't want him to get away with this" he whispered in her ear

"But it's not that big of a deal" she said

"He insulted you and your family, and what if he doesn't stop there hmm, he could make your school life hell, and I don't want that" he told her

"He's a year younger, what could he possibly do?" she asked

"Did I mention his brother is Collin Banes?" Troy asked

Her eyes nearly shot out of her sockets "Fine, but there will be no physical harm toward him from us" Gabriella said

Troy laughed "Deal"

"So, what do we do?" Troy asked everyone when they got back

"I have an idea" Tami smiled evilly

**Break**

_Guys,_

_Meet me, Gabriella, Sharpay, Chad and Tami at the secret place don't ask, we'll tell you when you get here_

_Troy_

"What's that all about?" Kelsi asked

"No clue, let's go find out" Zeke said

So they all headed for the secret place

"Guys, what's up?" Jason asked

"Gabriella" Sharpay urged her to say

She repeated the story, she hoped for the last time.

"What the hell" Kelsi raged

"Who does he think he is" Taylor fumed

"Is he insane?" Ryan pondered

"Does he actually think he's going to get away with this?" Zeke asked

"What are we going to do?" Jason asked

"Well, we need a plan, public humiliation, to get back at him" Tami told them

"Okay, so have we got one?" Zeke asked

"Yes, Tami came up with a plan, and it'll work" Troy said confidently

"Okay, good, so what is it?" Kelsi asked

**Lesson 3**

"So guys, sorry we left you the first two lessons, what's been going on here?" Chad

"Nothing really, I've done four designs for each person" Kevin told them "Harry's been complaining" he threw in "And, now we just need to put everything together" he concluded

"Okay, cool, so you guys do that, and Troy and Tami are going to go with Sharpay to help her out while me and Jenny work on the other design" Chad said

"Okay"

"Hello people, sorry I'm late, had some important matters to deal with" Harry said coming in, thinking everyone cared.

"Good, well now you're here, you can do some work" Troy told him

"Wha...are you serious?" he asked

"Yes I'm serious, this is a team thing, and unfortunately you're part of it, so see these designs, you are going to make one" Troy told him

"Well, what about all of you?" he asked

"Me and Troy are needed by Sharpay" Tami told him

"I'm helping Jenny with one" Chad told him

"And, I'll be helping Kevin with one" Gabriella told him

"So, I have to do 2?" he asked

"Yes, but you don't care do you, I mean what about all them amazing designer skills you're always talking about in tutor?" Tami asked

"Right, of course, I can do it" Harry said trying to convince everyone

"Good, get going then" Troy said walking off with Tami

"So, how did it go?" Sharpay asked when they got to the room she was in

"He's so nervous I actually thought he was going to puke" Tami smiled

"Excellent, step one, complete" Sharpay said ticking it off her list

_With Kelsi, Jason and Zeke_

"How do you think they're getting along?" Kelsi asked

"Knowing them, Sharpay is probably ticking step one off her list" Zeke laughed

She laughed as well knowing he was probably right.

_Gabriella, Chad, Jenny, Kevin and Harry_

"How's it going over there?" Kevin asked Harry

"Good, see" he showed them nervously

"Who's that for?" Gabriella asked

"Troy" He said nervously

"Troy is not that small, besides me and Kevin are making Troys" She told him

"Huh?"

"Yeah" She held it up proving it must have been for Troy

"Well Chad, what do you want yours to be like?" Harry asked

"Dude, I'm making my own"

"I thought you would have been making Jenny's" he was surprised

"No, Chad is older, so it'll need more people to make his" Jenny told him

"Bu...Okay, so, I'm making Tami and Jenny's?" he asked

"Yeah, and you only have an hour and a half" she told him

"That's lots of time" he told her

"Not really, look, we've got this much done, but you need to do two remember" she warned

"Right"

He got back to work, this time more nervous than ever; he kept sticking pins in himself, accidently

Gabriella got out her phone

_Troy_

_He decided to go for yours and Chad's,  
he's had to start again,  
he's very scared, and trembling,  
Tick phase two off the list :D_

_Love You_

_Gabriella xxx_

"So how do you think there doing?" Sharpay asked while putting the photos in order

Suddenly Troys phone went off, the song was _'Make You Mine' _signalling it was Gabriella.

Troy smiled when he looked at the message.

"Tick phase two off your list Sharpay" he told her

She immediately got her fluffy pink pen and pink paper and ticked it off smiling

_Gabriella_

_Hey, she just did it now, Good job, now all we got to do is make sure everything else goes as planned ha-ha: D_

_Love you __more_

_Troy xxx_

It Takes Two Ring tone

She smiled when she read the text and got back to work

"Um, how's this?" Harry asked

"Harry, where's its head?" Gabriella asked

"And it's arms?" Chad asked

"And the doll?" Jenny asked

Kevin laughed a bit

"Well, one of you can fit in it, right?" Harry asked

"Not even when I was 2" Jenny told him shaking her head

"Dude, you have get moving, you only have an hour, no screw ups okay" Chad told him

Things were going according to plan

"Hey, how's everything going?" Jason asked Kelsi

"Good, Collin is over there, and should be getting an anonymous phone call, right about, now"

"Hello?" he asked

"Hello, we are calling from the camping lodge, is this Harry Banes?" the woman asked

"No, this is his brother. What do you want from him?" Collin asked

"Well, he's supposed to be collecting an award at school today for being a brave little camper, do you know where I can reach him?" She asked

"I'll have him on the phone in a second" he told her

"Thank you"

Collin burst through the door, to find his brother trying to get 2 outfits together

"What are you doing, why is he doing this?" Collin asked

"Because we are doing the bigger outfits" Chad put simply

There was no way around that, even Collin knew it, Gabriella, Chad and Jenny shared a small smile

"Whatever, Harry someone from the camping lodge is calling you" he told him

"Hello" he spoke through the phone, trying to make himself sound older

"Hey there, you're getting an award from us today at your school, now apparently, we've got in contact with your school, and there's a project going on, and you're in the catwalk, correct?" she asked

"Yes" he confirmed

"Well, how about you go up with your group, if you're not going up already that is, and don't tell them, it'll be a shock, and they'll be so jealous, we have sent an outfit for you to wear, top of the line camping gear, it may not look great, but trust me, it is" she told him

"Wow, thank you" he told her

"You're welcome, now get back to work, and have a nice day" with that she hung up

"Here you go, thanks" Harry gave the phone back to his brother

"Yeah, whatever" Collin mumbled, taking his phone back and walked back to his classroom

_With Sharpay, Tami and Troy_

True Friend ring tone

_Hey Guys,  
Collin just came back in, so I'm assuming the call got to Harry,  
confirm it with Gabriella before you tick it off_

_Kelsi_

"Okay, I'm just going text Gabriella" Troy told them

_Hey babe_

_Kelsi just texted, did the call get through to Harry?_

_Love you_

_Troy xxx_

With Gabriella

It Takes Two ring tone

She smiled and sent back

_Hey Troy_

_Yeah the call got through,  
He's looking as smug as ever,  
Can't wait to wipe that look off his face,  
You would agree if you saw him right now,  
Anyway, he's doing better in his outfits,  
So tell Tami no need to worry :D_

_Love you too_

_Gabriella xxx_

_Troy, Sharpay and Tami_

"What does it say?" Sharpay asked

"Tami, your outfit will be fine, and you can tick it off" he told them

"Yes!" Sharpay squealed "Now, sing" she told them

_Get Ready, Get Set, Don't Go_

With Melissa and Ryan and Taylor

"Do you think it worked?" Melissa asked

"I don't see why not, you were pretty good" Ryan congratulated her

"Thanks" she said shyly

_Lunch_

At the secret place

"Is everything set?" Taylor asked

"Yes, the slide show has been made, the mess-ups have been made, the phone call has been made" Sharpay told them

"Good, now this should be interesting" Zeke said

"Very" Kelsi agreed

The gang smiled

Finally lunch ended and the 2 year groups went into the 'theatre'

"Hello and welcome, all the staff have hoped you have had a good day, now, it's time to present the RUBBISH CATWALK" Ms. Darbus yelled getting off the stage

_10 minutes in_

"Okay guys, we're up next" Troy told them

"Good luck" Gabriella smiled

"Hey, where's Harry?" Kevin asked, he still didn't have a clue what was going on.

They all shrugged

"Next up we have the Bolton and Danforth Families" Ms. Darbus announced

_Get Ready, Get Set, Don't Go_ started with the pictures going along with the music

"This is a brother and sister inspired design, as you can see Chad and Jenny have gone for a red and white look, while Troy and Tami have gone for a black and red look, and-  
_HARRY BANES WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?_" Ms. Darbus yelled through the microphone

He was wearing a white swimsuit with very short shorts, strutting up and down the catwalk

"Yes, yes, this is the _'in'_ for camping, I get the top of the line stuff, now, where's my award?" he asked

Zeke and Jason were taking pictures, while Taylor and Kelsi were writing down what was happening

"Dude, have you completely lost your mind, you're wearing a swimming costume with a pair of extremely short shorts, asking for an award, do you know how crazy that sounds?" Troy asked

"MR FIRTH WE WILL BE SPEAKING TO YOUR PARENTS ABOUT THIS" Ms. Darbus grabbed his wrist and took him to her classroom, Collin slipped out quietly, while making sure no one saw him, making a mental note to kill his brother later.

The whole room burst out with laughter

"Okay, okay, settle down, Troy, Tami, Chad, Jenny, we're sorry that we can't finish your catwalk, it looked very interesting, and the song sounded really good too" Their principal apologised

"It's not your fault, and Gabriella, Sharpay and Kevin helped as well, more than humanly possible" Troy told him

"Mhmm, it's true" Tami agreed

"Well, a round of applause for this group" the whole hall burst into cheers

Everyone had decided to go to Troy's house as his grandparents were away for the evening.

"Okay that has to be the most embarrassing moment of his life" Tami said as they walked into Troys room

"And see, wasn't it better than beating the hell out of him?" Troy asked rhetorically

"Well, it was fun, I'll give you that" Tami admitted

They had ordered kebabs and took it back to the house with them

"So, guys, what do you think of this" Kelsi began

_**"Yesterdays catwalk was completely mind-blowing, with all the creativity and hard work that was put into the outfits; it was a pleasure to see. However, when it came to Bolton-Danforths chance, it was spoiled by the swimsuit outfit worn by Harry Banes.**_

_**In all the years of Banes being at East High, has one ever embarrassed, not only themselves, but disgraced the 'Banes' name.**_

_**Was it an act of a desperate child, did he want some attention for once, instead of his rugby playing brother, Collin Banes, did he want the lime-light instead of the Bolton and Danforths. Who knows what lies he will come up with to cover himself.**_

_**Nothing is going to change what he did, he put shame to the reputation of East High, a reputation that wasn't easy to build, let's hope we can gain some pride and dignity back soon.  
But one thing's for sure, he really made it a Rubbish Catwalk."**_

Everyone laughed and cheered the article.

"That's awesome, that's for the newspaper, right?" Sharpay asked

"Yeah, I printed it after the catwalk, leaving my name out of course" she said

"Of course" they agreed

They didn't need Banes and his family on their backs.

_2 hours later_

"Guys, we should really get going" Taylor told them

"Yeah, we'll see you tomorrow" Sharpay said hugging all of them

"See you guys tomorrow" Troy walked downstairs with them and Gabriella to her door

"Sorry we didn't get to spend much time together today" Troy apologised

"Are you kidding, you guys did all of what you did because he insulted me a little" Gabriella reminded him

"Yeah, well he deserved it" Troy told her

She smiled "Thank you" she said hugging him as they got to her door

"You're welcome" he whispered in her ear

"Goodnight" she said

He kissed her "Goodnight" he replied and walked back to his house

He walked into his room to find Tami cleaning all the take-out stuff out

"Tami don't I'll do that" he told her

"No, don't worry I got it" she said

"Well, at least let me help" he said

She smiled "Hey, it's your room"

He laughed "True, hey, thanks for helping us out today" he told her

"No problem, it was fun, I hate that guy" she said with disgust

He laughed as the last piece of rubbish was thrown away

"Hey, do you want to watch a film?" Troy suggested

"Yeah sure" she agreed

"What do you want to watch?" he asked her

"Hmm, St. Trinians" she told him

"Alright then" he agreed putting the disc in as she got comfortable on his bed

Jack and Lucille were coming to bed when they heard the TV noise coming from Troys bedroom

They opened the door, about to tell him to turn it off, when they saw him and Tami sleeping with Troy keeping Tami safe with his arm around her.

Jack and Lucille smiled. They decided to turn it off themselves and leave them be.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_I decided to leave the revenge as it was; I'm not good at making up revenge schemes so this is about the best I could come up with, even now._

_It hasn't been edited much but the plot of the story called for little detail and suspense._

_Hope you like it :)_


	22. One Month Anniversary

Troyella

**Chapter 22: One Month Anniversary [Edited]**

Today, when Troy woke up, he was extremely nervous, he had to make sure everything was perfect, he had the perfect gift, the perfect setting, a perfect girlfriend; now all he needed was the perfect night.

When Gabriella woke up, she was really excited, it had only been a month since they got together, but it seems so much longer. She loved Troy, and no matter what happens today, she would still love him. She knew he'd be worrying about everything going smoothly, but she knew there was no need to worry; he was perfect, no matter what happened, it would be perfect, she knew it.

"Hey" Troy called from his car when he saw Gabriella coming out the front door

"Hey, you okay?" she asked

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah I'm good thanks" she answered getting in the car

"Good" he kissed her as she got in "Happy One Month Anniversary" he said

She smiled "Happy One Month Anniversary" she replied

He smiled "Seems longer than one month doesn't it?"

"Yeah, so much has happened, it's unbelievable" she said

"So, tonight, I'll be at yours at 6" he told her

"Okay that's cool" she smiled

"Good, you had any breakfast?" he asked

"Err, no" she answered nervously

"Why?" he interrogated

"Because I forgot" she told him, smiling sweetly.

He turned a different way from the school to a breakfast drive through, when they ordered, Troy parked up round the block from the school so they could eat

"Thanks for getting me breakfast" she thanked, kind of guilty he had to spend his money

"No problem, it's much more fun eating breakfast with you anyway" he told her

She smiled

**Tutor**

"Bolton, Montez, why are you late?" Ms. Darbus interrogated

"We were having breakfast" Troy replied honestly

"Don't think I'm an idiot, why are you late?" she asked again

"We were having breakfast" Gabriella answered this time

"Why do you expect me to believe that?" Ms. Darbus asked

"Because it's the truth" they replied together

Just then the bell rang, indicating they had missed the whole of their tutor.

"Bye" they said together, going to their next lesson.

_History_

"So, tonight, casual or dressy?" Gabriella asked

He laughed "Hmm, probably safe to go casual" he told her

"Ok" She smiled "And what are we doing?" she asked

"Nice try, you'll just have to find out" he told her

"Fine, you always have to do the surprise thing, don't you?" she sighed

Troy laughed "You'll love it" he told her

"Where have I heard that before?" she asked rhetorically

"Well, you did didn't you?" he asked

"Yes, I did" she confirmed

"Good" He smiled

_Geography___

"So, it's Troy and Gabriella's one month anniversary today" Sharpay said casually

"Oh yeah, wow, seems longer than a month" Taylor said surprised

"I know how much has happened since they got together?" Zeke asked

"A lot" Jason answered

"Well, Troys going to want it to be special, do you think he needs any help?" Kelsi asked

"Well, there's no harm in asking" Chad said

Finally it was break time and they found their friends in the canteen sitting around their usual table.

"Hey guys" Troy and Gabriella said as they got to the gang

"Hey, happy one month anniversary to you" Sharpay said

"Thanks" they answered, surprised their friends remembered.

"So, got anything planned?" Chad asked

"He won't tell me" Gabriella huffed

Troy laughed "It's a surprise" He told her

"Yeah, but doesn't mean I don't want to know" she whined

"You love surprises" he told her

"...Fine, okay, I'll wait" she said

"See, waiting won't be as bad as you think" Troy told her

She giggled

The rest of the gang smiled at them.

Just then the bell rang

"Ok, it only feels like 5 minutes ago we got out of class" Chad ranted

"Yeah, well it was 15, so we have to go" Taylor said

"Okay, well you guys, Sharpay and Kelsi have maths in the other classroom, so Gabriella will see you all later" Taylor said dragging Gabriella off.

"Hey, wait a second" Gabriella said, shrugging Taylor off. She walked back to Troy and kissed him on the cheek, hugging him from behind "Bye"

"I'll see you later" he told her, kissing her cheek.

"Bye guys" she said walking back to Taylor "Now, we can go" she told her.

"So Troy..." Sharpay started, as they walked to their own maths lesson.

"Yes Sharpay?" he asked

"You need any help in setting stuff up for your date tonight?" Chad asked

Troy smiled "Actually, I think I could"

"Great, what do you need to be done?"

_Gym_

"Okay guys, we're still doing trampolining, so everyone get around it and someone get on" Coach Bolton told them

"So, who's getting on first?" he asked

Everybody stayed silent, so Troy jumped on

"Okay, thank you Troy" Jack smiled thankfully at his son

"This is the routine you all will be doing, so pay attention.

_1) Pike _

_2) Tuck _

_3) Straddle _

_4) Seat Drop _

_5) Swivel hips _

_6) Front Drop _

_7) Back Drop _

_8) Seat Drop to Front Drop_

Good, now do it all without me saying anything" Jack told him

"Pike, Tuck, Straddle, Seat Drop, Swivel hips, Front Drop, Back Drop, Seat Drop to Front Drop" Troy whispered to himself

"Good, now Gabriella, come up and do the same..."

_Lunch_

"Ugh, I hate trampolining" Taylor whined

"Come on, it's so much fun" Gabriella told her

"No it's not, you could break something" Taylor warned

"That's why you have to listen and keep your balance" Sharpay said

"I have no co-ordination, so I hate it" Taylor told them

"We know" they laughed

_Drama _

Now, Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Chad, I'm assuming you need to rehearse?" Ms. Darbus asked, knowing the others weren't doing it

"I think it would be a good idea" Sharpay answered

"Okay, then practice, think of this as a rehearsal" she told them

They shrugged, Troy and Gabriella opened with Still There for Me

Finally their school day ended and it was time for their date together.

"Hey" Troy greeted at her door

"Hey, you okay?" she asked

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah thanks, so where are we going?" she asked

"It's a surprise, remember" he smiled

"Yeah I do" she sighed

"Good, now put this on" it was the same blindfold that she wore on her birthday

"Troy do I have to" she whined

"Yes" he mimicked her tone

"Fine" she surrendered

"Good" he laughed

They got in the car and he started driving

Half an hour later

"Troy we've been in this car for about an hour" she told him

"Half an hour actually, we're almost there" he told her

"Okay" she said, but was smiling, which he obviously saw

20 Minutes later

"Okay we're here, just don't take the blindfold off" he told her

"Okay I won't" she told him, exited to see what he has done

"Alright" he said getting out of the car

"Okay, now just go where I lead you" Troy told her

"I will" she smiled

They were walking for about 5 minutes when Troy told her to stop

"You can take it off now" he whispered in her ear

"Oh my gosh, Troy" she was completely mesmerised

They were on top of a mountain looking over the ocean, you could see the sun setting, and could see all of Albuquerque and it's lights. He had set out a table for 2 with red and white table cloth, a rose with a note set on her plate, twinkling fairy lights hung around the trees, her favourite meal and by the looks of it her favourite dessert too, rose petals were scattered around the table, and a small gift-wrapped box in the middle of the table

"This is amazing" she was pretty much speechless

"I'm glad you like it" he smiled

"Like it, like it, _I LOVE IT_" She practically squealed

He laughed "Shall we eat?" he suggested

"We shall" she mocked

Troy had asked the gang to bring the food up here before he got there with Gabriella; they had gotten there about 10 minutes beforehand.

While he was getting the food from another table set out, the food was still hot because it had a heat sealing lid over it; she read the note that was with the rose

_Gabriella _

_It's been one month, but it feels so much longer Every second I have been with you has made me so much happier than I have ever been You are the best thing that has ever happened to me If we stay together forever, that still wouldn't be long enough I love you with all my heart and I always will Don't ever forget that Happy anniversary Hopefully it will be the first of many, because I can't imagine life without you by my side _

_Lots of Love _

_Troy _

_xxxxx_

"Troy, I..." she was speechless

"Like it?" he asked

"It's beautiful, the words and everything" the paper was red and the writing was beautifully written in silver

He smiled and put her plate in front of her

Throughout dinner there was talking, and if there wasn't there would be comfortable silences between them.

"So, do you want your gift?" Gabriella asked

"You didn't have to get me anything" he told her

"Yes I did, besides I wanted to" she told him handing him the present

"Well, thank you" he smiled

When he opened it he saw a gold bracelet with T&G in between the links

"This is too much" he said

"No it's not, do you like it?" she asked biting her lip

He smiled and kissed her "I love it" he told her, she smiled "Now for your present" he told her

"No" she told him

"Yes" he answered handing it to her the one in the middle of the table.

She opened it and a smile immediately broke out on her face

It was a bracelet, but instead it had _Troyella_ going around it, with a stud diamond going around each one

"I remembered the gang calling us that once, and you seemed to like the nickname. So I got it to match your T&G necklace." he told her, her smile brightened even more

"I love it" she said, just loud enough for him to hear

He smiled as she lent in to kiss him, they pulled back thinking that the other was perfect

"So, shall we go?" he asked

"Yeah, I think we should" she said unwillingly

"You're probably right"

They got in the car and drove back home

"Thanks for tonight Troy, it was really nice" she told him

"Well, anything for you" he told her, she blushed a bit

He chuckled and kissed her passionately

They pulled back smiling like crazy

"Goodnight" Troy said turning to leave

"Goodnight" She said back

That night was something neither of them could describe, they loved each other, they knew it, now all they had to do was make sure nothing would ever come between them, and in their opinion, it would be as easy done as it would be said.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_I remember when I wrote this I wanted it to be short and sweet, the saying, less is more. I think I did that with this one :)_

_So I hope you like it._


	23. Advertising

Troyella

**Chapter 23: Advertising [Edited]**

"Hey Guys!" Sharpay greeted as she walked into school

"Hey Sharpay, we've gotten out of all our lessons today" Jason told her

"How come?" she asked

"Because, we have to advertise the concert" Troy told her

"Oh My God I have a great idea!" she said

"NO PINK!" They all told her

"Uh, fine"

They laughed

"Come on, let's go to the art room" Gabriella suggested

"Yeah" They agreed

They all headed off, except Troy who pulled Gabriella back

"Hey"

"Hey" she smiled "Why aren't we going with them?" Gabriella asked

"We are but we're going slower"

"Ohh, why?" she asked

"Because we've had no time alone since we've gotten into school" he reminded her

She smiled

He put an arm around her waist as they walked and smiled as he felt her lean into him

"Looking forward to the concert?" Troy asked her

"Yeah, pretty nervous, but yeah" she smiled

"Same feelings over here" he smiled

She smiled back.

"Come on guys, stop being so slow!" Chad called from the end of the hall, heading upstairs

Gabriella was about to speed up when Troy pulled her back. She looked at him confused.

"We will go at our own pace, if they don't like it then too bad" he told her, wrapping an arm around her.

She smiled and leaned back into him.

He smiled looking down at her.

_Art Room_

"What's taking them so long?" Chad asked in a whiny voice, wanting to get started.

"They're probably going slower to spend more time with each other" Kelsi suggested

"Yeah, nothing wrong with that, so let's start" Taylor started getting paints and paper and everything they would need out.

_Troy and Gabriella_

"They've probably started without us you know" Gabriella told him

"I know, Chad's impatient, so they would have"

She giggled agreeing with him

"Hey, how about we go to the computer room instead and make something there" Troy suggested

She took a moment to think about it, one side screaming 'YES!' The other screaming, 'YOUR FRIENDS WILL NOT LIKE IT!'. She thought about why her friends would not like it, coming up with nothing, being bias toward the part of her that wanted to spend more time with Troy. "Sure" she agreed

He smiled and took his phone out ringing Zeke.

"Hey Troy, what's taking so long?" he asked

"Me and Gabriella are thinking of going to the computer room, to make posters on there, we just thought we'd tell you" Troy told him

"Oh, okay, I'll tell the others" Zeke told him, not minding they weren't coming up.

"Cool, thanks Zeke. Later"

"See you" With that they hung up

"All sorted" Troy told her

Gabriella smiled even wider at Troy, knowing they were going to be by themselves, which they obviously got, but rarely at school.

_Art Room_

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEIR NOT COMING?" Taylor screamed, obviously furious.

"Whoa Taylor, calm down, they probably just want to be alone, who cares?" Sharpay asked rhetorically

"But, we're going to be doing all of it ourselves, how is that fair?" she asked

Ryan sighed "I have to admit, it is pretty unfair"

"Ryan" Sharpay hissed loud enough for everyone to hear

"I don't see what the big deal is" Kelsi admitted

"Me either" Zeke agreeing with Kelsi and Sharpay

"Same here" Jason contributing his opinion, still working

"What about you Chad?" Taylor asked, giving him a look warning him not to cross her.

He hesitated for a second, thinking it through, Taylor was his girlfriend, yet Troy had been his best mate since infant school. He then thought about his friend, he had never had a girlfriend before, neither had he, but Troy could get any girl he wanted and he chose her, she must have been something special, he didn't want to hurt his girlfriend, but looking at it from Troys view he saw nothing wrong with what he was doing, he just wanted to spend time with his girlfriend.

He sighed "I see nothing wrong with Troy and Gabriella going to the computer room to spend time alone while helping us advertise, even if it's not with us".

Everyone stood there in silence; they all knew Chad was caught in the middle, between his life-long best friend, and his girlfriend, a position no one should ever have to be put in.

Taylor was fuming and stormed out of the room.

Chad let out a breath, he was angry, not at Troy for causing this whole thing, even though he didn't mean to, he was angry at his girlfriend, for making such a big fuss over it.

"I don't get it, what's the big deal?" Sharpay asked softly

"It's the fact that they are abandoning us and leaving us to do this, when it was their idea in the first place." Ryan told them

"That's just being dramatic, _'abandoning'_ come on, they just want some time with each other" Jason said

"That may be so, but they should be helping" Ryan said

"But they are, they're down in the computer room doing stuff their" Kelsi insisted

"How do we know that for sure?" Ryan asked challengingly

"Are you calling them liars?" Chad asked in the most serious/scary voice anyone had ever heard out of him.

"N...N...No, but we should just remind ourselves that it's possible" Ryan said trying to make his voice sound confident and unaffected by Chad's, it didn't work very well.

Chad shot a glare at him "Troy never goes back on his word" Chad said sticking up for his best friend

"Yeah, and Gabriella is way too nice to even consider letting us do all of the work" Sharpay said sticking up for hers.

"Well, you never know" Ryan stated

This caused everyone in the room to look up and glare at him

Ryan looked at all the death glares he was receiving and thought he'd probably gone a bit too far. "I...I...I'm going to go and look for Taylor" he said and ran quickly out of the room.

"Is it possible to hate your brother?" Sharpay asked glaring at the door

"Is it possible to hate your girlfriend?" Chad asked miserably

"They over reacted, I'm sure they're doing the work right now." Kelsi said

_Computer room_

"How about we move that over here?" Gabriella suggested

They had made everything for the computer poster, the title, the wildcat logo, colours, where, when, time, now they just needed to organise the page.

"Yeah, I agree, and this for a background colour (white) and this one for writing (red). That way the logo will show up" Troy suggested

"Yeah, definitely, and 'AT P3' can go here"

"Date can go here"

"And time can go here!" Gabriella said enthusiastically when she realized they were done

"Yep, how many should we print?" Troy asked

"Um, I'm not sure, I think maybe about 150, but that depends on the ink" Gabriella suggested

"They reload ink everyday to make sure it has enough to last about 300, 150 will be good" he smiled

She smiled and reached over for the mouse to print 150.

It just started printing when the bell went signalling it was break time.

"That went fast" Gabriella said looking at her watch

"Yeah, do you want to wait here and wait for the sheets to be printed, or go to the art room, or go to our secret place that everyone knows, or our secret one?" Troy asked her

"Um, maybe we should wait here, then depending on the time, we'll go wherever then" She suggested

"Fine by me" he agreed.

They were obviously completely oblivious to what had happened in the art room.

_Art Room_

"Where are they?" Zeke asked

"Well, they're either in the computer room printing everything off, or still working on it, or waiting for us in the secret place" Sharpay said

"Yeah probably, how about we go see them" Kelsi suggested

"Yeah, we'll go to the computer room first, I need a break" Chad said putting his paint brushes down.

So Chad, Sharpay, Zeke, Kelsi and Jason all walked down to see Troy and Gabriella, they found them by the printer in the computer room talking

"Hey guys" Chad greeted opening the door

"Hey, where are Taylor and Ryan?" Troy asked, noticing that they weren't with them.

"Eh, um, well, they didn't like the fact you were coming here instead of the art room..." Chad started

"Yeah they, like, completely over-reacted, saying that it wasn't fair leaving us to do everything, when we told them you'd be down here doing posters on the computer, us lot didn't see a problem with it, so when we stated our opinion Taylor walked out, and they Ryan started going on about how you guys were probably lying about the fact you were down here helping us, and that's when we all glared at him which sent him straight out _'looking for Taylor'_ I mean seriously, how over dramatic can you get, and people call me over dramatic, HA, you should have seen them!" If they weren't so used to Sharpays ranting, they wouldn't have been able to understand a word she said, and Gabriella and Troy wished they hadn't.

"So, they are angry at everyone because of us?" Troy asked slowly

"Don't even go there, they're morons, I mean seriously, do they not know you or something?" Kelsi asked rhetorically

"Yeah, what has gotten into them?" Jason asked

"I don't know" Troy started "But I'm going to find out" Troy said looking at them

"Good, I mean seriously, Chad said that you always keep your word, and I said that Gabriella is way too sweet to let us do all the work, and he said _'well, you never know'_. WHAT THE HELL!" Sharpay practically screeched

"He said, Gabriella would let everyone do all the work" Gabriella could tell the only thing stopping his hands from clenching is the fact he had his hands around her arms, and he didn't want to hurt her.

None of them were surprised he didn't care what he had said about Troy, Gabriella was his first priority, they knew that what Ryan had said had hurt her, even though she tried to recover quickly, they also knew that it wasn't just what he said about her, they could tell when she tensed about what he said about Troy, Troy was also first priority to her. The gang realized that Taylor and Ryan had better hope to run and hide fast.

"Excuse me" Troy gently lifted Gabriella off him, she tried to cling on, but he whispered reassuring words to her, telling her he wouldn't do anything stupid, and she let go. When he left the room, she sighed. Why were Taylor and Ryan making such a big deal out of this, it's no big deal!

"Don't worry, everything will be back to normal in no time" Kelsi softly reassured her.

"I don't get what the big deal is, we were helping, maybe not in the art room, but we were, why is it that all of a sudden it's so bad we want some time alone" her voice was on the verge of breaking, they knew Troy would be the only one able to calm her down, if she broke down, they only hoped that he got back before that happened

"It's no big deal, they're just making it one, for some reason, don't worry" Sharpay said softly but sternly.

Then it was as if something dawned on Gabriella. "This fight between us all, us and Taylor and Ryan, it's my fault isn't it?" she asked and this time, she did break down.

_With Troy_

Right now he was in the bathroom washing his face, hoping to calm himself down before confronting Taylor and Ryan.

"Um, are you okay?" Troy turned round to see who was talking to him.

It was a boy who looked like he was in year seven; he looked kind of intimidated and scared to be talking to Troy.

"Hey, um, yeah I'm fine; hey do you know Taylor McKessie and Ryan Evans?" Troy asked

"Yeah, they were in the musical with you and your girlfriend" the boy replied, gaining a bit of confidence.

"Yeah, that's it; do you know where I can find them?" Troy asked

The boy looked worriedly for a minute. Troy looked confused, then relief swept over the boys features when he realized he did know.

"Um, I think I saw them both outside by the fountain" he said hesitantly hoping they hadn't moved since he saw them

"Thanks" Troy said

"You're welcome" The boy said, about to head out

"Wait..." Troy said walking up to the boy. The boy looked kind of worried.

"What's your name?" he asked when he was at the door himself

"Terry, Terry..." the boy sighed "Terry Banes" he finally said.

"You related to Collin and Harry?" Troy asked

He sighed again "Unfortunately, I'm their cousin" he admitted miserably

"You don't seem too happy" Troy stated

"They're people who only care about themselves and their reputation" he stated, kind of angrily.

"So, not even their family like them?" Troy asked confused

"No, our family loves them, well not Harry right now" Troy smirked "But they all love them, they don't like me, mainly because I _care_ about other people" Troy couldn't help but laugh at his tone.

"No worries, bet people here like you more than them" Troy said trying to get him to cheer up

"Well, against Collin, no. Against Harry, a bit, but no one really likes me because they assume I'll be the same as my cousins." he told Troy miserably

"Prove to them you're not" Troy said

"Huh?" he was happy but confused with this idea

"Prove to everyone you're not like your cousins" Troy repeated

"How?" he asked

"Be the opposite, be normal. Join clubs, once they see you're not like Collin or Harry, they'll be glad to introduce you to more of their friends" Troy told him

"I'm not good at anything really" he told Troy

He thought for a minute

"You like basketball?" he asked

"Yeah, sure. I'm no good at it though" he added quickly

"Well, we have clubs every Tuesday and Friday, you'll join the beginners for your age, you can learn and make friends" Troy smiled seeing him smile

"My family won't be happy." He said "I'm so in." Troy laughed.

"I'll see you around Terry." Troy said before leaving

"Yeah, bye" Terry smiled before leaving himself.

_With Taylor and Ryan_

"Do you think we over-reacted?" Taylor asked

"No, we shouldn't have been left to do all of the work" Ryan insisted

"But they were helping, just on computers" Taylor carried on

"We don't know if they did" Ryan reminded her

"But, they don't lie, and they would never let us do all of the work"

"Look, we reacted reasonably, if it was organised that's what would be done, then fine, but it wasn't, you had everything planned what everyone was going to do, we discussed it, they should have stuck to it. Simple."

"Maybe your righ..."

"Taylor, Ryan!" Troy called running up to them

"H...Hey Troy" Taylor greeted nervously

"Hey, what happened? The guys told us you guys freaked because Gabriella and I were going to be doing work somewhere else"

"Well, basically,

(1) We didn't know whether you were actually going to be doing anything  
(2) You were supposed to come to the art room, you just decided out of the blue to go somewhere else, with no warning..."

"I phoned"

"...until today, when everything had been organised, and you just go and screw that up." Ryan told him

"We helped, just because we weren't with you, doesn't mean we didn't help." Troy argued, but in a normal tone

"Yes, but who said you could go off and do that?" Taylor asked

"Oh. What? We have to get permission from you to do something?" Troy asked getting a bit frustrated

"No, that's not what I meant" Taylor told him

"Then what did you mean?" Troy asked

"Well if you stopped interrupting maybe she'll tell you" Ryan defended

"It didn't look like she was about to tell me, it looks like you guys are angry, not with me and Gabriella, but with the fact, that you think that everything has to be run by you guys before we can do anything" Troy said

"You know that's not true, Troy." Taylor defended

"Oh, then please, tell me the truth. Tell me why you reacted so harshly to me and Gabriella, when you know full well that we would keep our end of the deal and do the work." Troy nearly yelled

They stayed silent

"Well, when you come up with an explanation, you know where to find me. Until then, you'd better start thinking, and it'd better be damn good" Troy warned before he walked off

Taylor and Ryan stared at each other with a mixture of scared and shocked expressions.

_With Gabriella and everyone_

When Troy got back, Gabriella was shaking and had silent tears streaming down her face, with the rest trying to calm her down.

When Troy saw this he immediately rushed to her, trying to calm her down.

"What's wrong?" he asked, her and everyone

Kelsi sighed "She thinks it's her fault that we're all in this fight right now" she told him

His eyes snapped shut, he was shaking his head, whispering, telling her, it wasn't her fault, that they shouldn't have reacted the way they did, and that she had nothing to do with it. A few more minutes like this and the tears stopped.

"D...Did you f...Find them?" She asked, still a bit shaky, but okay for the most part.

"Yeah" he sighed

Every ones heads snapped up

"What did they say? What happened?" they asked

"Basically the same thing they said to you guys, only it ended with me saying, basically, they'd better have a damn good explanation on why they reacted like it, and when they did to come and find me" Troy told them

"Good, it had better be good, because that's all it's going to take, not even grovelling won't work" Sharpay said stubbornly

"Okay, well it looks like the computer posters are printed" Troy told them, looking back to see they were all done.

"Let's see!" They all got one to look at

"Awesome!" They all basically said

"You like it?" They asked hesitantly

"It's awesome, seriously!" Sharpay reassured.

"Cool, we'd better go up to the art room then, unless you've finished" Troy suggested

"Nearly, come up in 10 minutes, hang 30 of these around the school, and then come up, and help us hang these around places, then we can take both lots around the town and hang them up." Sharpay said

"Okay, cool, see you in a few minutes then"

_With Troy and Gabriella_

"What do you thinks going to happen, between us and Ryan and Taylor?" Gabriella asked

"I don't know, hopefully everything will turn out alright, it should, but they just, overreacted, and I don't really get why" Troy admitted

Gabriella sighed "I don't want this to be my fault" she mumbled miserably

Troy stopped right in front of her "There is no way in hell this is your fault, okay, trust me, understand?" he asked sternly

She took in a breath and nodded

He smiled "Good" and gave her a short but sweet kiss.

"Come on, we've covered all the school boards, let's go to the art room" he said.

_In the art room._

"Hey" Troy and Gabriella greeted walking through the door

"Hey, we're done" Sharpay said happily

"Awesome!" Troy said

"Come on, let's go into town" she started walking out the door

"We're not shopping" Chad told her

"Bu...Wha...Why?" she asked

"Because we're going in there to hang posters up, and knowing you, you'll have your pile still in hand, with about 50 shopping bags" Zeke told her

"Right, so, Zeke will go with Sharpay, Troy with Gabriella, and Kelsi with Jason" Chad told them all

"Hey, we won't come out with 50 shopping bags" Gabriella told him "Sharpay might, but we won't"

"(a) You might come out with more  
(b) You get to spend more time with Troy" she ceased her glare once she heard (b)

"What about you, man?" Troy asked

"Eh, I'll go by myself, it'll be easier, don't give me that look Troy, its fine, really!" he told them

"Well, if you're sure..." Sharpay started

"Positive" he cut her off

"Well, okay, when shall we meet back, and where?" Gabriella asked

"You know what, it's been a long day, how about after this we just go home" Chad suggested

"You sure?" Troy asked worriedly, Chad never just wanted to 'go home'

"Yeah, if you guys want to that is" Chad added making sure

"Only if you're sure" Kelsi looked at him

"Yeah, come on, let's get going" Chad said walking out the door.

Troy and Gabriella shared a car.  
Zeke and Sharpay shared a car.  
Kelsi and Jason shared a car.  
Chad was by himself.

_With Troy and Gabriella_

"Is Chad okay? I've never seen him like this, though this might be normal from time to time" Gabriella asked, very confused by Chad's behaviour

"I can honestly say I don't know, he's my best friend, I should know, but I've never seen him like this before" Troy sighed, resting his head on the steering wheel as they came to a red light

"Is this his and Taylors first fight?" Gabriella asked

He looked at her "Erm, ha-ha, no, they always fight" he told her

"Hmm, maybe he feels this time they won't make up" Gabriella said quietly

"Chad's usually an optimist, but I guess that could be it" Troy didn't have any other explanation

**In Town**

"Hey, everybody knows their route, yes, well, bye" Sharpay ran off

Zeke sighed "Lord help me" and walked off after her

"We'll see you guys tomorrow then" Jason and Kelsi said and walked off

"Yeah, see you tomorrow" and Chad walked down his route

"Guess that leaves us with the shopping centre" Gabriella stated

"Yep, guess so" Troy and Gabriella started walking in

"So, do you want to do something t- OH MY GOD!" Troy couldn't get over the scene in front of him

"What's u- OH MY GOD" Gabriella was also taken aback by the scene in front of her

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Well, I did have options here in the original, but someone answered, so have fun reading the next chapter :)_

_Hope you like it :)_


	24. Unbelievable

Troyella

_[Hey, I'd like to say thanks to 'scarlettbrenda3000' who told me what she wanted. Sorry if you don't like it, but I like the idea as well, so may as well go for it] _

**Chapter 24: Unbelievable! [Edited]**

_"So, do you want to do something t- OH MY GOD!" Troy couldn't get over the scene in front of him_

_"What's u- OH MY GOD" Gabriella was also taken aback by the scene in front of her_

"What the hell are they playing at?" Gabriella asked in complete and total shock

"I don't know, what the hell is going on with them, first they're angry at us, and Taylor has Chad and, doesn't Ryan have a girlfriend?" Troy asked.

What they saw before them was something they never imagined they would ever witness. Maybe they were unhappy with their boyfriend/girlfriend, but that's no reason to go behind their backs. They should have said something to them, not string them along. They'll be crushed.

Troy didn't know how he would handle a crushed Chad, he'd never had to, but he was determined to be there for his friend.

Troy let out a breath; he looked at Gabriella, signalling he was going to intervene. She nodded in agreement.

"Hey!"

Taylor and Ryan stopped what they were doing at the sound of Troys voice.

"Um...Uh...Hey Troy...Gabriella" Taylor replied kind of scared

"What the hell do you think you are doing? You're with Chad, and you're with someone else. Do you guys just like hurting people?" Troy asked, angrily

"What...No, how could you say such a thing?" Taylor asked

"Pretty easily with the way you've been acting lately" He replied

"Look, I'm not happy with my girlfriend, Taylor's not happy with Chad; can't we just forget about all this and leave us to explain what's going on?" Ryan asked as if there was nothing wrong with what he'd just done.

"No, I'm sorry but no, I will tell Chad, I don't know who your girlfriend is, but pray I don't know her." With that Troy walked away with Gabriella following

"Oh that's right walk away, instead of actually having a proper conversation with us, to discuss it; I mean seriously, Gabriella didn't even open her mouth." Taylor called out

Troy stopped in his tracks

"What is there to discuss, huh? And why should Gabriella talk to _you_ if she doesn't want to?" He asked them rhetorically

"Gabriella, do you have something to say?" Ryan asked

There was a silence among the four teenagers "Don't even talk to me!" Gabriella warned. This shocked Ryan and Taylor into staggering back a bit in the tone they heard from Gabriella. Never had they heard her speak like that, to anyone, it scared them to death.

"A...Anyway, um, I'm sure we can handle telling the people we need to tell, so, back off, yeah?" Ryan said looking anywhere but Gabriella

"No, you guys can tell your family, and trust me if I knew your girlfriend, then you wouldn't be telling her either, but you will stay away from Chad. Understand?" Troy warned

"But Troy..." Taylor started to protest

"No buts, if I find out you have been anywhere near Chad, then there will be hell to pay" With that, Troy and Gabriella left them thinking about everything that had just been said.

_With Troy and Gabriella_

"We have to find Chad and tell him" Troy said

Gabriella nodded in agreement

"Hey. You okay?" Troy asked worriedly

"Yeah, I guess, I just didn't know either of them would be capable of hurting people the way they are now, I guess." She told him

"Me either. Yesterday, if someone came up to me and told me that, this was going to happen today, I wouldn't have believed a single word" Troy admitted

Gabriella sighed "Let's go find Chad, he needs to know. Then Sharpay so she can beat Ryan to the hell he deserves to go to." Gabriella suggested

"Agreed. I wonder who Ryan's girlfriend is" Troy thought.

"I don't know. But I feel sorry for whoever it is." Gabriella said.

_With Ryan and his girlfriend_

"Look I'm sorry, I just don't love you, okay, I love someone else" Ryan tried to explain

"Yeah, someone your own age, I get it, I'm a year younger, so obviously it's not _'cool'_ for you to be seen with me" she said on the verge of yelling.

"No, it's not that, you're great, but this girl is..."

"Better" she finished

Ryan sighed "Look, maybe you are too young to understand, I don't love you anymore, I'm sorry, it's just the way it is. You'll find someone your own age, they'll be perfect for you, you'll be glad we broke up, in fact, you'll be thanking me for it." He assured her

"Yeah right" she barely whispered

"If you're going to be immature about this then I am going to leave, but if you still want to be friends, then that would be great" Ryan told her

She sent him, for what seemed like, the hundredth glare he'd received today.

"Just get out of here" she ordered

And with that he left his, now ex-girlfriend, sitting on her bed, trying to get her head round what just happened.

_With Troy, Gabriella and Chad._

"So, they were...?" Chad asked not able to finish the sentence

"Yes" Troy barely whispered

"But why?" He asked

"We don't know. They said, they just, weren't happy with you and his girlfriend anymore" Troy said getting angrier

They could see Chad was on the verge of tears, but he was trying to hold back.

"Tell me once more, just so I can believe it" Chad begged.

"We saw Ryan and Taylor kissing in the shopping centre, they told us they weren't happy with you or his girlfriend, and that they wanted to be with each other." Troy repeated, watching silent tears stream down his best friends face.

_With Ryan and Taylor_

"How did it go?" Taylor asked

Ryan sighed "Hard, but I think she took it well" they were at the park talking

"Nobody is going to like this, we'll be alienated at school, nobody will talk to us, and you know this right?" Taylor asked

"As long as we have each other we'll be alright"

_With Troy, Gabriella, Chad and the rest of the gang._

"I'm going to kill him!" Sharpay nearly yelled

"We know how you feel" Gabriella told her, speaking for the first time in what seemed like ages.

"I can't believe I'm actually related to him" She was furious at her brother.

"They're, I don't even have the words to describe what they are" Kelsi sighed

"How could they do this?" Zeke asked

"Because they love each other" Chad answered, everyone stared at him in shock. "What? Look no one can choose who they fall in love with, we just do. Apparently they have fallen in love, there's nothing we can do about it. There is nothing they can do about it. It's not fair. But no one can control it, it controls us. It kills me to say it, but they have the right to be together if they really want to be together."

Everybody looked at Chad, he was heartbroken, yet he was sticking up for them. They all felt proud looking at him, knowing that he was that sort of guy, who would be willing to let people be together, even if it hurt him. He was truly a great friend, and one none of them wanted to lose anytime soon.

"Chad, that's really good that you think like that, but the way they went about doing it. What they did it's..." Troy couldn't continue

"It's horrible, and in my opinion I'm sorry to say, unforgivable, but what's done is done, we can't change the past, but we can learn in the future" he smiled

The gang looked at each other, Chad was this sort of guy, and they knew he'd be burying his feelings, they'd make sure they were there when they came pouring out.

All of them had finished putting up posters, and were now heading home.

Troy and Gabriella sat on a bench in the park opposite their houses, this isn't the same park Ryan and Taylor are at.

"You okay?" Troy asked after a few moments of silence

"I guess, I feel so sorry for Chad, it must be horrible, I can't even imagine" Gabriella told him

"And you'll never have to imagine, I can promise you that" Troy told her, pulling her into him

She smiled, it seemed like forever since she did, she felt guilty for smiling at a time like this, but she couldn't help it, Troy always had a way of making her feel better no matter what the situation was. She really did love him.

Troy sighed. "Come on, we'd better get in, parents are probably waiting for us" Troy told her.

"Yeah, you're probably right" she got up reluctantly.

Troy walked her to her door

"Night" Gabriella said

"Night. Love you" he added

"I love you too" they shared a short but sweet kiss.

Troy walked back to his own house, confused by today's events, everything had been fine yesterday, it was his and Gabriella's one month anniversary, they were all helping him make it perfect, it was normal, and now this happens out of the blue. It was too complicated.

Troy was about to step into his room when he heard quite sobbing coming from inside the door. He walked into his room to find Tami crying quietly on his bed, soaking his pillows with her tears.

"Tami?" Troy asked confused as to what was going on. Apparently she wasn't having a good day either.

"Troy" She flew up and hugged him tightly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Troy lead them over to the bed to sit, she was trying to calm her breathing from crying so hard.

He glanced out of his window and saw Gabriella on her balcony, obviously confused why Tami was crying, he shrugged with a concerned look upon his features.

He turned his attention back to Tami when he heard the breathing become steady. He waited for a few seconds before speaking.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Troy asked

"Um, okay..." she started hesitantly

"You don't have to..." he started

"No, I want to. Okay, well you may not know this, but I had a boyfriend" He told Troy. He was shocked, but let her carry on. "It was so weird, yesterday we were happy, he told me he loved me, and today, he broke up with me" she told Troy miserably

"Oh Tami" he sighed pulling her into a hug

"I don't know what happened, I don't know what I did wrong, and it seems all of a sudden he just wasn't happy being with me" She told him

A curiosity was captured by them words "How old was this boy?" He asked

Tami hesitated "A year older than me" she looked down.

Troy sighed "Okay...So you don't know what happened?" Troy asked making sure

She shook her head, still looking down miserably.

"Who is this guy?" Troy finally asked

She hesitated "His name is Ryan Evans"

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Well, again not much that needed to be changed in my opinion. A few errors here and there but nothing major. _

_Hope you like it :)_


	25. Ryans Relationships

Troyella

**Chapter 25: Ryan's Relationships [Edited]**

_"Who is this guy?" Troy finally asked_

_She hesitated "His name is Ryan Evans"_

"Ryan, as in Ryan?" Troy asked making sure he heard right

She nodded once

Troy was speechless, he didn't know what to say, he had hurt Chad, now he had hurt his sister. There was only one thing Troy knew. Ryan would be a dead man, and very soon.

"Troy? Hello?" She waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention

"Huh, sorry, it's just Ryan isn't exactly very popular on my list of friends right now" Troy explained

"How come?" Tami asked

"Well for one, now, what he's done to you, and two, he and Taylor went behind...wait, I don't know whether I should tell you this" Troy caught himself before he revealed something that could either make his sister want to kill Ryan as badly as he does, or make her breakdown, he was favouring one over the other, but he had to know she'd be alright once he told her.

"No, no, no, tell me, please" Tami pleaded, she needed to know the full story, she was going crazy.

"He and Taylor went behind Chad...and your...backs, and were dating, we don't know for how long, probably only started today, either way they got caught, they also got mad because Gabriella and I wanted to spend some time with each other, we were helping them, just on the computers, it was really weird, but either way, what Taylor and Ryan did was wrong, and we just can't see why they would do such a thing" Troy explained

"Oh" was all managed to say. She thought her and Ryan were something good, now she realizes he was going behind her back, one thing she knew, this was going on for a _lot_ longer than a day.

Tami sighed "Troy, there's something you should know" She started

"What is it?" he asked

"I think it's been going on longer than just a day" she revealed

"What do you mean?" he asked, becoming very interested

"Well, for the past month, he's been acting strange, like, turning up late to a dates, then leaving unexpectedly, or just not coming, I thought it might have had something to do with the musical and concert, but the musical is over, and I'm part of the concert singing with you, so it can't be that, so I think he was, maybe, meeting up with Taylor, I don't know why else he would be acting so strange" Tami explained

Troy looked at her, trying to take everything in. _'This had been going on for this long and none of us saw anything out of the ordinary. We've known each other for God knows how long, and then they do something like this, and we don't even notice the slightest bit of change, it's...scary' _Troy thought, deep in his mind.

"Gabriella looks worried" This pulled him out

"Huh?" He asked confused

She nodded to the balcony.

In her room, Gabriella was pacing around, looking worried, looking like she was trying to figure something out.

"You can tell her if you want, and everyone else, anyone else, except our grandmother" Tami told him

Troy shivered "Why on Earth, would I _ever_, out of my own free will, talk to her?" he asked rhetorically.

Tami smiled "True"

Troy stopped a minute "Do you hear that?" he asked

Tami scrunched up her face in concentration trying to hear what Troy was "What?"

"Shuffling" he replied

He put his finger to his mouth, signalling for Tami to remain quite

He swung the door open, and sure enough, in came tumbling, mum and dad.

"Like to tell me why you are trying to walk through a closed door?" Troy asked

"Um, uh, okay, we heard Tami crying earlier, we didn't want to upset her even more, so we waited until you got home and heard why she was upset"

"So, you were eavesdropping?" Troy asked accusingly

"No, we were concerned" Jack replied

Troy looked at Tami "They were eavesdropping" she said

"Anyway, Tami why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" Lucille asked

"Would you have approved of a boy a year older than her?" Troy asked

"Well, no, but look what has happened" Lucille responded

"Yes, but if this didn't happen, and we would all rather it wouldn't, then Tami would be angry at you guys right now and rebelling against you, for not letting her date him" Troy stated

"He's right, It's better this way, oh and Troy, go to Gabriella, she's going crazy over their" Tami told him

"Right, be back soon"

_At Gabriella's_

"Troy, what are you doing here?" Ava asked

"Hi, um, I think Gabriella's kind of worried about something, can I go check on her?" Troy asked

"Yes, of course" She replied opening the door more letting him in

"Thank you" he said and ran to Gabriella's room

He knocked before entering

"Hey" he greeted

"Hey, what's wrong with Tami?" She asked as soon as he stepped through the door.

"Well, she had a boyfriend, he broke up with her today" Troy told her

"Oh my God, how is she? Is she okay?" Gabriella was really worried

"Yes, she's fine, but there's more" he told her

"How much more?" She asked, frozen with curiously and fright.

"Guess who her boyfriend was"

She stared at him blankly "Who?" she finally asked

"Ryan" he barely whispered

"Ryan?" she repeated in disbelief

He nodded and cleared his throat "Ryan" he told her

She stared off into space, she didn't know what to think, Ryan, he was such a nice guy, and now he's going around lying and cheating, it's just unbelievable.

Troy started waving his hand in front of her face

"Yeah, that was my reaction" he told her

She sighed "What's going to happen?"

"Well, I'm going to kill Ryan" he told her

"I think we all will, but Sharpay may beat us to it" she said

"I think you may be right. It's just, he's hurt my best friend, and now he's hurt my sister, who else is he going to hurt? It seems only a matter of time before he does" Troy told her, he was worried about this since Tami told him, but she had enough on her mind, so he finally let it out.

"Hey, everything is going to be okay, okay" she told him

He nodded, desperately wanting to believe her.

She breathed out and snuggled into him, while he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that until they fell asleep.

_The Next Day._

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Gabriella? You awake?" Came her mother's voice, from the other side of the door.

"Hmm? Yeah mum I'm awake" She told her

"Okay, breakfast is going to be ready soon"

"Okay mum"

When Gabriella tried to get up to get ready she found she couldn't move, and that pair of arms were wrapped around her, and apparently weren't letting go anytime soon. She twisted round to find Troy and her in the same position they fell asleep in.

"Troy? Troy wake up" She shook him gently

"Troy?" she saw his eyelids open a bit, getting used to the light, before they opened fully

"Hey" he greeted

"Hey, you do realize your parents are probably worried about you" she told him

"Probably not, they know I came round here when I left, and I bet you anything they saw through the window that I was still here. My grandmother isn't going to like this though" he smiled at this.

She laughed a bit. He sighed remembering why he had actually come yesterday.

"Still mad at Ryan?" she asked

"I know it's bad, but I think it always will be, I could try and take Chad's advice and forgive him, but he's hurt two people I care about now, I can't just forgive him like that" he told her, he felt kind of guilty, but he couldn't help it.

"I feel the same as you do. I mean I know I'm not as close as you Chad and Tami are, but Tami seems like my little sister now, and Chad my big brother, you know, and I trusted Taylor, and she must've known what was going on" she told him.

"Taylor" he sighed. He honestly hadn't thought about her. He was too busy coming up with ways to kill Ryan, and make sure he didn't get caught, but either way, Taylor was as big a part of this as Ryan

"Yeah, I'd forgotten that she must have known something too." she revealed

"What are we going to do?" Troy asked, his arms still wrapped around Gabriella's

"We could tell the gang, if Tami wants" She told suggested.

"She said the only people she didn't want knowing was our grandparents" he told her

"Okay, so we tell the gang and take it from there, I do want to know what the hell is going through their minds right now"

"Me too, me too"

_School_

"WHAT!"

"HOW COULD THEY DO THIS?"

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THEM?"

This was the reaction they got when they told them.

"So, let me get this straight" Chad started "Me and Taylor were dating, while Ryan and Tami were secretly dating, Taylor and Ryan obviously got together, leaving me and Tami to string along, until the game got too much, and they got caught by you guys, so obviously they knew you would say something at home, so before that happened, Ryan broke up with Tami, a day after he told her he loved her, while he was dating Taylor who was going out with me." he explained fully.

"Seems so" Troy agreed

"Wow, yesterday, when it was just me involved, then yeah sure, handled, but Tami's like my little sister, and no one does that to her" Chad told them

"We know, we have to do something, at least get them to explain why there doing this" Sharpay concluded.

"Right, but something tells me this isn't going to end very well" Jason told them

They all silently agreed.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Well, another set of choices were here before, but now they're gone :)_

_So, I hope you like the story :)_


	26. Weddings

Troyella

_[Half of my ideas will be taken from Twilight for the next chapter ~you'll see~ just a warning. Differences will be there for example personalities etc. Hope you give it a chance]. _

_**[IF YOU DISLIKE TWILIGHT – MOVE TO CHAPTER 28!]**_

**Chapter 26: Weddings [Edited]**

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride"

Troy and Gabriella kissed, sealing the commitment of becoming husband and wife

"I love you" Troy told her

"I love you too" Gabriella replied sweetly

They looked around to see all of their friends clapping and cheering

"One hell of a lesson, huh?" Troy asked

"Absolutely" Gabriella replied.

_2 Days earlier._

"Now young ones, you will be making up a play, entirely of your own, your own ideas, I won't be here to help you in any way, this is about working as a team, and individual thoughts, coming across in the play, you may do anything you like. It has to be performed in 2 days from now. There will have to be 3 people from a different year. Good Luck." Ms. Darbus told them

"Wow" Sharpay shrieked as they got up to their secret place "This is going to be so awesome!"

"I know" Kelsi agreed "But what do we do?" She asked everyone.

"Well, we have to have 3 people from another year group" Jason said

They stared blankly

"Tami and Jenny" Jason told them

"True, so one more person" Sharpay said thoughtfully.

"I have an idea, depends on whether you guys will agree or not" Troy told them

"Who?" Gabriella asked.

"Terry Banes, he's in year 7, and he seems like a pretty decent guy" Troy told them

"The one who just joined Basketball for Beginners?" Chad asked

"Yeah" Troy replied

"Oh yeah, he seems like a pretty decent kid, better than his cousins" Zeke said

"Spoken to him?" Troy asked

"Mmhm, he hates his family dude" Zeke smiled

"I know!" Troy laughed. "It's up to you guys though"

"Well, I don't mind" Gabriella spoke

They all looked at her

"What?" she asked, laughing at their expressions

"After what Harry said about you and Collin has been saying?" Sharpay asked her

"Well, yeah, just because you are related to someone, doesn't make you like them" Gabriella told them

"So, Terry Banes then?" Jason asked

"Yes, Terry Banes" Gabriella confirmed

"Awesome, now we have the people, now we need an idea" Kelsi said

"Right" They all agreed.

"Well..." Troy started

"What?" Sharpay asked

"What about, something like, about vampires, mythical stuff" Troy suggested

"Sounds cool, what did you have in mind?" Kelsi asked

"Well, we could do a play, about a vampire and a human who fall in love, but he's afraid to hurt her, so doesn't go near her, but then gives in, and see what happens from their" Troy suggested

"Sounds good" Sharpay smiled in agreement

"Well, it should have, adventure, fantasy, just to make it, not boring, you know?" Troy said

"I love it" Gabriella smiled

"Well, what should we call it?" Chad asked.

"Um, how about, The Vamp and the Human" Jason suggested

"No, what about, Moonlight?" Sharpay suggested

"Isn't that a program?" Gabriella asked

"Yeah" Troy nodded "How about...Moonlit Love?" Troy suggested

"That works" Gabriella smiled "Guys?" She asked

"Love it, Moonlit Love, it suites" Sharpay squealed.

"Now we have to get characters in place and names" Kelsi said

"Right" Jason agreed

"So, how about...

Troy, the vampire, the main vampire, who falls in love with the human...Edward, an old fashioned name, because he's had to have been around a long time, considering he's a vampire and he is immortal.

Gabriella, the human, hopelessly in love with a vampire, being pushed away for her own safety, only to be with him in the end, Bella, as in Isabella, similar to your own name, but shortened to Bella.

Me (Sharpay) I am going to be a sister to Edward, one who is beautiful and knows it. Rosalie

Kelsi, another sister, maybe...Alice, nice, loves Bella like a sister, helps her with everything, while convincing her brother, Edward that he should be with her.

Chad, a brother, funny, outgoing, not a care in the world, Emmett, good name

Zeke, the husband, and father, first vampire to be turned out of the family, turns Edward first, and then the rest of the family to save them. Carlisle.

Jason, another brother, empathetic, struggles most with the transformation of becoming a vampire, Jasper

Tami, the wife and mother, lovely woman, who loves everyone, and cares for anyone who deserves it, but if you hurt her family, she will be after you. Esme

Jenny, a werewolf maybe, enemy to the vampires, wants to kill vampires, Victoria

Terry, werewolf, wants to rid the world of vampires, making it even more difficult for Edward to know Bella will be safe with him, Jacob, his name will be" Sharpay set it all out

"Did you just come up with that?" Gabriella asked amazed

"Kind of, I was thinking through as soon as Troy came up with the idea" She said, like it was nothing.

"I think we should all make histories for our characters, like we all come from different times, so it would be kind of useful for people to know the histories." Kelsi suggested

"Yeah, agreed, also, maybe Carlisle and Esme adoptive parents" Troy put in

"Yeah definitely, and also, maybe within the family, only they know, they should be together" Gabriella suggested

"Like, Emmett and Rosalie, and Alice and Jasper?" Kelsi suggested

"Yeah" She confirmed

"Great idea" They agreed

"So, tonight, histories, and tomorrow, rehearsals" Sharpay told them

"Yeah, okay cool"

"Alright, see you all tomorrow, I wish Chad luck asking Jenny, and I wish Troy luck with asking Tami and Terry." Sharpay said and left

"See you later" Kelsi, Zeke, Jason and Chad left

"Okay, we'd better go" Troy said

"Yeah, hey, where did you get the idea from anyway?" Gabriella asked as they were walking through the hallway

"I'm not sure, stuff like that has always interested me, like vampires and werewolves, but you guys turned it into what it is" Troy told her getting into the car

"Well, everything was good, I think it's a great idea" Gabriella complimented

"Why thank you" Troy said as he was driving

Gabriella giggled, but then faded into a sigh

"What's up?" Troy asked concerned

"Taylor and Ryan, it doesn't feel right without them" Gabriella admitted

"I know what you mean, but they brought it upon themselves, when they're ready to apologise for what they've done, then everything can go back to normal" he told her

"But what if they don't?" Gabriella asked as Troy was parking

"What happened wasn't our fault, you know that right?" Troy asked facing her

She nodded "I can't help but feel like I caused it, but I know I didn't, it's hard" Gabriella said

"I know, but tomorrow, we're going to be doing the performance of a lifetime, hey, promise me something?" Troy asked

"Anything" she said immediately

He smiled "Promise me, we won't talk about this until we have to, just get on with life as normal as possible, not dwell on them, what they may be thinking, we go back to what it was like before" he said stroking her hand lovingly

"I promise" she smiled and kissed him sweetly

"Good. Now, would you like to come in, or do you think you should go home?" Troy asked

Gabriella giggled "I'd love to come in, but for some reason mum wants me home today, so I'll see you either later or tomorrow" Gabriella said

"Okay, see you then" he replied

_In Chad's house_

"Please" Chad begged

"Why?" Jenny asked

"Because I'm your brother and you love me" he offered

She groaned "Chad" she whined

"Please, you play an evil werewolf, who wants to destroy all vampires, your name is Victoria, you may not even be in it for that long" Chad told her, trying to persuade her.

"Fine, I'll do it" She caved

"Thank you!" Chad hugged his sister.

_In Troys House_

"Why me?" Tami asked

"Because we needed someone from another year, 3 actually, please" he asked

"Who are the others?" she asked curiously

"Jenny and Terry if I get him to agree" he told her

"Terry Banes? He's alright, better than his cousins anyway" Tami sighed "Fine I'm in" she told him

"Yeah?" he asked surprised how little begging it took

"Yeah, you're my brother, no way am I letting you down" Tami smiled

"You are the best little sister ever" Troy laughed hugging his sister

"Thanks, now, who am I playing?" she asked

"You will be playing my adoptive mother, Zeke's wife, and Sharpay, Jason, Kelsi and Chad's adoptive mother also" He told her

"What about Gabriella?" she asked

"She'll be playing my girlfriend" he told her

"Okay, and Jenny and Terry?" she asked

"Evil werewolves who want to kill us" he answered

"Okay, I like the idea, though not so keen on the history making part, but I'll live" Tami sighed dramatically

Troy chuckled "Knew you were right for the part" they laughed.

_Terry's house_

"You want me to do what?" Terry asked, not sure he'd heard right

"Be an evil werewolf who wants to kill all vampires" Troy repeated

"Is this for some kind of play?" He asked

Troy laughed "Yes, it is" he confirmed

"Ah, now I understand, well, if you can't get anyone else, then I guess I could" Terry agreed

"Really?" Troy asked relieved

"Yeah, sure, why not? Sounds like fun" he sounded enthusiastic

"Awesome, see you tomorrow in rehearsals" Troy said, and then the line went dead.

_Sharpay and Ryan's house_

Dinner time.

"So, how was school?" Mrs Evans tried to get everyone talking, but even Sharpay was mute

"Fine" they both replied

"Anything interesting going on?" Mr Evans tried

"Doing a production, day after tomorrow, should be exiting" Sharpay answered

"Really, well that does sound exiting, what are you guys going to do, what's it called?" Mrs Evans asked

"We haven't decided on a name yet" Ryan told his mother

"Ours is called Moonlit Love" Sharpay answered

"You're not in it together, but that's never happened" Mr Evans said bewildered

"Well, you know what they say, nothing lasts forever, everything changes, traditions can be broken, apparently this is one of them" Sharpay told her parents

"For the better" Ryan said

"Couldn't agree more" Sharpay shot back

It suddenly went silent again, in the Evans household.

_Back gardens_

"Hey!" Gabriella called over to Troy

"Hey!" he smiled and walked over to the small fence, blocking the two gardens

"Did Tami agree?" Gabriella asked

"Mmhm, and so did Terry, and according to Chad, Jenny did too" Troy told her

"Yeah? Awesome. I've written out my history, didn't take that long, considering I'm from the present, how about you?" she asked

"Yep, all done, had to make sure I was quite old, not older than Zeke, but if I'm the first turned, it was quite hard, thinking what everyone would pick, but I think it's sorted." Troy explained happily

"Great!" Gabriella said enthusiastically "We still have to do the concert" she reminded him

"Yeah, we should head down to P3 at some point, see if every thing's still going according to plan" Troy suggested

"Yeah, maybe, not tomorrow, but after the performance in drama" She suggested

"Yeah, that sounds cool" Troy agreed.

Gabriella smiled

"What?" he asked, happy she was now happy and not sad.

"Nothing, it's kind of silly I guess" she said

"Tell me, nothing you ever say could be stupid" he reassured her

"I'm just...really looking forward to the BBQ, if I'm still invited" she told him

"Why wouldn't you still be invited?" he asked

She shrugged, trying to hide her smile, by ducking her head

"I'm glad you're exited about coming, I'm excited about it too" he told her, holding her head up to look in her eyes

They gave each other a sweet kiss before heading inside, for some well deserved sleep.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Ok, well that was the first part of the Twilight chapters._

_Again if you dislike Twilight please move onto Chapter 28, it's not exactly the same but a lot is taken – from when I was a huge fan of the books etc. _

_Hope you like it :)_


	27. Moonlit Love

Troyella

_[Thoughts will have been recorded beforehand and played when needed]_

**Chapter 27: Moonlit Love [Edited]**

Bella (Gabriella) POV

It was dark, very dark, pitch black, you couldn't see anything, especially through the fog, yet, at this time, there was somebody, a man, teenage boy, couldn't have been more than 17, walking down the street with ease, unaffected by the blackness or the fog.

The person was headed straight towards me. I had told my dad not to worry, I told him I knew my way to his house, and that he should go to work. Maybe that was a bad idea.

"You know, it's not safe being out at this time of night" he said, I swear he had just been down the street, and now he was right in front of me.

_'Strange'_ I thought, but didn't think anything of it.

"And what's so dangerous?" I asked, keeping him talking, looking for an escape.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just warning you, be careful" he told me, and walked off.

_'What the hell was that about?'_ I asked myself. Now I really wanted to get to my dads, no way did I want another encounter like that.

The fact was, I lived in America, beautiful, sunny. But my mum got re-married, I felt like I didn't belong, so I decided to come live with my dad. In England. Where it's not so sunny, but I'm hoping to get used to it.

I finally got my key through the door (I have a key from previous visits). It was warmer inside. I decided to just go up to my room and go to sleep; it had been a long day.

I sat thinking about what had gone on throughout the day.

"Mum, seriously, I want to go" I tried to persuade my mum, but she wasn't having it.

"No, you cannot go. What am I supposed to do?" she asked

"You have Richard" I told her

"Yes, but you're also my daughter, I want to see you from time to time" she yelled

"Well dad never gets to see me, isn't it his turn to spend time with his daughter?" I asked remaining calm

"You won't like it there, it's boring, and the weather is awful" she told me. I knew this, but I still wanted to go. I didn't tell her the real reason.

"It'll be a nice change of scenery" I told her

"Fine, you're choice, but, you'll be back within a week, I'll bet on it" her mum told her

"Well then, that's a bet you're about to lose"

That's how my day started off. Then, I had to wait ages for my luggage to come out, and then when I got out of the airport; it was raining, so that really sucked. But not so much I bought a ticket back to America.

Then there was the thing with the guy. _'Who the hell was he?' 'Why did he talk to me?'_ it was weird, but I think he was really being nice, and not trying to freak me out.

_'Oh well, guess that's that. I shouldn't make a big deal out of it_. I thought and went into a deep sleep.

Edwards (Troys) POV

_'Who was she?' 'What's her name?' 'She's got to be new around here; I've never seen her before.' 'Why am I so interested? No one has EVER affected me like this. I have a bad feeling that I'm in BIG trouble. And, may turn out bad for her'_. Edward sighed, as he walked home

"Hello Edward. Where have you been?" Rosalie asked (Sharpay)

"Just out, walking around, thinking" he told his adopted sister.

"Ah, it's quite late" she said, mindlessly

"Yes, I know, I can take care of myself Rosalie" he told her

"I know you can, doesn't mean I can't worry" she said, and walked off gracefully.

SCHOOL My/Your POV

"Hello, and welcome, to your last year in High School. We have a new student joining our school, so be nice, and help her settle in. Her name in Isabella Swan, but prefers Bella. Now, just saying again welcome back. And have a great year. Now off to your classes" The head teacher said in assembly.

"Well that was embarrassing" Bella mumbled to herself

"Yeah, know what you mean, that was me and my brothers and sister last year" Bella heard a voice talking to her "Hi. I'm Alice. Alice Cullen, nice to meet you" Alice held out her hand (Kelsi)

"Yeah you too" Bella was struck by the voice; it was soft, gentle, musical in a way, entrancing, like you _had_ to listen. "I guess you know my name, but anyway, my names Bella" She introduced herself.

"So, how do you like England?" Alice asked

"Yeah, it's pretty good, I've been here before on vacations, and decided I wanted to spend some time with my dad" Bella told her

"Aw, that's sweet" Alice said

"Yeah, well, I've lived with my mum my whole life, just thought it's about time I lived with my dad, and spent time with my dad"

"That's cool. Bet he's happy" Alice stated

"Yeah, he is, very happy" Bella smiled

"Good" Alice smiled "What do you have now?" she asked

"Um, science" I told her

"Ah unlucky, I have English, but it looks like you have science with my brother. His name is Edward Cullen. Look out for him, bye" Alice left for English

"Wait, I don't know where my...class is" she sighed as Alice walked off

"That's my sister for you, sorry about her, she's always in a rush somewhere" Bella heard from behind her "I'm her brother, Edward Cullen"

Bella turned, she was stunned to see the guy that had warned her last night "I...I'm Bella" she stuttered

"Hey" Edward said equally stunned

"Hi" she said shyly

"Look, if I freaked you out last night, I'm really sorry, I just didn't want to see you get hurt. It's not that bad down here, but you never know" he told her

"Oh, don't worry about it, I mean yes I was a bit freaked out at first, but then it was okay" she told him

"Good I'm glad. So, I heard you don't know where your next lesson is, would you like me to show you?" Edward asked

"If you wouldn't mind" Bella said, really not wanting to be late for her class

"I wouldn't. So, what do you have?" he asked her

"Oh, science, Alice said I'm in the same class as you" she told him

He looked at her time table and smiled "So you are"

She smiled

"Come on" he lead the way

"Mr. Cullen, why are you late?" his science teacher asked

"Sorry sir, I was bringing to Bella, she didn't know the way to her classroom yet, so I was showing her here" he answered smoothly

Bella looked at the teacher. Hoping he would believe Edward, it was true, but teachers are teachers.

"Okay, Miss. Swan, take a seat by Mr. Cullen please, he will help you catch up on what you have missed" with that, the teacher (Zeke dressed up as a teacher for this bit) went back to teaching

"Wow, he actually believed you" Bella said

"Well, he has no reason not to" Edward smiled. His smile was perfect in her opinion, big and bright, and his white teeth made it shine even more.

"So, when would you like me to help you catch up?" Edward asked

"Well, when would be a good time for you?" Bella answered and asked

"Anytime you're available, I'm free at break, lunch, after school, free periods..." he told her

"Well, I've just moved here, so I have no plans either" she responded

"This may be harder than I thought" Edward mumbled, she giggled quietly. This caught his attention. Her giggle was so innocent, it amazed him.

"Well, how about, after school, unless you have plans-"

"Like I said, I have no plans" he cut her off

"Okay, so after school?" she asked

"Sure, what time?" he asked

"What time does school finish?" she asked

"3:15pm" he answered

"Well, how about 4:15pm that will give me time to get ready and meet you...where are we meeting?" she asked

He chuckled "Um, how about Stacks Cafe?" he asked

"Sure, I think I remember where that is..." she thought for a second "...Yep, I remember" he smiled

"Good"

Suddenly the bell rang, signalling second lesson "What do you have?" Edward asked

"Um, PE" she groaned

He chuckled "Same here, but boys and girls are separate, you should be having PE with Alice and Rosalie" he told her

"Who's Rosalie?" she asked, confused, but, silently hoping she wasn't his girlfriend

"Rosalie is my other sister. There is, me, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Rosalie" he answered

"Oh"

"Yep, so I'll see you later" he told her, and left for the boys changing rooms when they got to the girls

"Bye" she called after him

He waved, before turning the corner, and he was gone.

She went inside the changing rooms and saw Alice

"Hey Bella" Alice called, and waved her hand for her to go over to her

"Hey" Bella greeted as she got over there

"Hey, this is Rosalie" Alice introduced

"Hey, nice to meet you" Rosalie said

"Hi, um, you're Alice and Edwards's sister, right?" Bella asked, confirming, she didn't think there would be another Rosalie, but just in case.

"Yeah, how did you know?" She asked

"Oh Edward told me in science, just wanted to see if it was you or another Rosalie" Bella told her

Rosalie nodded.

"Oh, how was science?" Alice asked

"Good, kind of, didn't really listen to much actually" Bella realized and mentally kicked herself

Alice laughed

"Not my fault, well, not only anyway"

"Okay okay, so you met Edward then?" she asked

"Yeah, that was partly the reason I missed a lot, you took off before you told me where my lesson was-"

"Oops" Alice realized she did do that

"Then Edward saw the whole thing, and we talked for a bit, then he showed me to the lesson-"

"Phew"

"And then we talked throughout the lesson" she finished

"Really?" Rosalie asked, sounding kind of amazed

"Yeah, oh, and Stacks Cafe, that's in town next to that Games shop right?" Bella asked

"Yeah, why?" Alice asked

"Because, I'm meeting with your brother, he's helping me catch up in science" she told her casually

Alice's eyes widened, soon after her smile got just as big

"Really?" she asked

"Yeah, what's with the face?" Bella asked as they walked on to the court

"Oh, nothing" Alice told her

But Bella knew, it was defiantly something.

With Edward

"So, you're going out with this Bella girl?" Emmett (Chad) asked

"Yes Emmett, I'm helping her catch up in science" he repeated for what seemed the thousandth time

"Since when do you go out after school, with anyone except us?" Jasper (Jason) asked

"Um, Jasper, I've always been able to, just never have" Edward answered kind of confused

"What's she like?" Emmett asked

"Um, her name is Bella, she seems nice, sweet, innocent, amazing smile, and laugh" Edward smiled thinking about her

They were also on the court by now, but on the other side

Emmett and Jasper noticed how Edward was smiling

"Dude, do you, like her?" Emmett asked

Edward looked at him, but didn't reply. _'Do I like her?_' he thought to himself

"It's cool if you do, about time too" Jasper added

When they went round the corner, Bella and Edward saw each other, they both smiled automatically at each other, it just seemed natural.

Emmett patted Edwards shoulder "You like her, no doubt about it" he said, and walked off

_'Yeah, I guess I do'_ Edward thought smiling

After school

"Hey Bella, how was school?" Charlie (Zeke again acting as Bella's father for the moment) Great dad" Bella told him

"Make any new friends?" he asked

"Yeah, um, Edward Cullen, Alice Cullen and Rosalie Cullen" Bella told him

"Oh, very nice people, their father, best doctor around, those are some very nice people, good choice" Charlie told her

"I think so" she smiled

"So, what are you doing for the rest of the day?" he asked

"Oh, I'm meeting Edward at Stacks, we're in the same science class, and he's offered to help me catch up on what I've missed in class" Bella told him

"That's nice of him. Okay, well be careful, have fun"

"Dad, its science, how much fun can it be?" Bella asked rhetorically

With Edward

"So, this Bella, what's she like?" Esme (Tami) asked

"Esme, she's great, trust me" Alice told her mother

"Where's Carlisle?" Edward asked

"He's at work" Esme told him

"Okay, well, I'm going to meet Bella okay, I'll see you later" Edward got his keys and walked to the door

"Just, be careful" Esme told him

"If I thought Bella was a threat, and then I wouldn't be going to meet her" Edward told her

"I know that, but there are other things out there, you've seen the papers"

"I know, I'll be careful" he promised and left

Stacks

"Hey, sorry I'm late" Bella rushed up to the table he was sitting at

Edward looked at his watch '4:15pm' he read confused "You're not late. Actually you're right on time" he told her

"I am?" she looked at her phone "Oh, well that's a first" she mumbled to herself

He laughed a bit

"Well, you going to sit down?" he asked

"Yes, yeah, thanks" she sat down in the chair opposite him

"So, what you you want?" he asked, not wanting to get on to science right away

"I'll have a diet coke" she answered, glad they didn't go straight to science

"So, how much do you already know?" he asked once they had ordered

"Um, I'm not sure really, what have you been taught?" she asked

"Well, this term, only one topic, obviously, Living things we've been learning about" he told her

"Living things, right, well, in year ten we had a rubbish teacher, so I'm not really sure about anything" she admitted

He laughed "It's alright, we'll start from the beginning" he told her

She smiled; he must have been one patient guy to go from the beginning.

"Thanks, this might take a while, going from the beginning though" she told him

"I don't mind, it's like revision for me anyway" he reassured her

She didn't mind so much when he put it like that

"You seem to know this stuff, like, by heart though, seriously, it's like you've learnt everything there is that has to be learnt, well, with science, I don't know about other classes, yet" she smiled

He tensed for a second, then relaxed and smiled "No matter how long you live, there is always something new to be learnt" he told her

They remained silent for a second

"That's nice" Bella finally spoke

He looked up confused "What do you mean?" he asked

"It's nice, what you just said, it's like, the world keeps changing, so there is always something new around the corner waiting to be discovered and learnt, keeps life interesting" she told him

He smiled "Yeah." he agreed

From 4:15 - 6:00 they got their first topic done

"It's getting dark, would your dad want you home?" he asked

She looked at him confused; she didn't think she told him she came to live with her dad

He saw her face and laughed "Alice told me"

"Oh" her mouth formed the shape, but no sound came out

"Yeah, so, wouldn't he?" he asked

"What time is it?" She asked

"6:30, but it gets darker quicker in winter" he told her

"Yeah, um, yeah sure, I think I walked here, so I'll see you tomorrow" she said

"Wait, you walked here?" he asked

"Well, more like ran thinking I was late-"

"You want a lift home?" Edward asked

"Well only if you don't mind, and it's not out of your way, I don't want you to-"

"Its fine" he assured her

"You sure?" she asked

"Positive"

Edwards's car

"Wow, you drive fast" Bella nearly screamed

"You want me to slow down?" he asked

"Yes please" she nodded

He laughed and slowed down to a normal limit

She let out a breath of relief

"Sorry, I'm used to driving like a maniac, I promise if you're in the car with me, I'll keep to the speed limit" he said

"Thanks" she said breathlessly

He laughed again "So, where do you live, I'm just turning into the street I saw you walking down now" he told her

She looked outside, and sure enough, she was back where she was last night "Oh, I can walk from here" she said

"No, I'm not letting you walk the rest of the way, now, where do you live?" he asked again

"Just round the corner" she told him

"Okay, which car is your dads?" he asked

"Um, he probably won't be in, or maybe they took his partners car" she told him, thinking

"Bella?" he asked

"Oh, um, oh, it seems they took his partners car, the one with the police car out front" she told him

He looked, and saw the car, and stopped outside her house

"Your dad an officer?" he asked

"Yeah, his name is Charlie Swan, heard of him?" she asked

Edward looked at her "Bella, your dad is the head of the police down here, there isn't a person who hasn't heard of him"

"Oh" she mouthed, and again, no sound came out

He chuckled

"I'll see you tomorrow" he told her

"Bye" she said sweetly, and walked into her house

Then he drove home

Bella's POV

_'Wow, Edward seems really nice, and sweet, he's, he's just amazing, pure amazing. He's the best, best of the best. What could happen though? Nothing probably, but, that doesn't mean I can't dream, daydream, or wish. Yeah, we'll be friends'_

Edwards POV

_'What do I do? I don't want to hurt her. If we stay friends, then she may get hurt, but then Alice and Rosalie are friends with her, and they don't seem worried about anything. But me seeing her could put her in a lot of danger, but then same with Alice and Rosalie, but with three of us even more danger, but three of us protecting her, means triple protection, and Emmett and Jasper will probably help out. But what if it isn't me 'monster' me who hurts her, what if it's just me, maybe, being stupid or something-'_

"Edward, I can hear you pacing from my room" Alice told him

"And that's supposed to surprise me?" he asked

Alice sighed "What's up?" she asked

"I'm..." he sighed "I'm scared" he admitted

"Why?" she asked confused

"Because, Alice, what if I hurt Bella in some way, I'd never be able to forgive myself, I'm a monster, and it sucks, because I'm afraid that I'll hurt her, or she'll get hurt because of me" he told her

"Edward, everything is going to be fine, listen, you like Bella, right?" she asked

"Yes, maybe more that I'd even admit" he told her

"Well then you won't hurt her, and you wouldn't let anything happen to her"

"But what if I mess up one day, and she gets hurt?" he asked, not wanting to even imagine, considering where he comes from

"You won't, and besides, you won't be alone, me, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, even Carlisle and Esme will help protect her" she said

"You would?" he asked, basically all of them, considering he knew they could all here

"Of course we would" Alice answered for all of them "You really like this girl, after so long, you've finally found someone, we wouldn't let anything happen to her" she promised

"Thanks Alice" he smiled, genuinely thankful

"You're welcome, now, come and get something to eat with us, it may be a long night, but we should be back before school in the morning, so we can get ready" she said

"Sure" he agreed

In the morning, with Bella

"Bella, time for school" Charlie called up to her

She groaned "Kay" she wanted to stay asleep, but knew that wouldn't happen, once she was awake, she was awake, and there was nothing she could do about it

She got up and got ready, she was tired, but would be awake by the time she got to school

"Hey Bella" Edward greeted when he saw her by her locker

"Hey, you okay?" she asked struggling to get it open

"Yeah, you?" he asked, kind of amused

She sighed "Yeah can't get my locker open, but aside from that, yeah" she replied

He chuckled "Here, let me try"

"Be my guest" she moved out of the way, so he could get to her locker

He smiled, he looked at her locker for a second, before doing exactly what she'd been doing for the past ten minutes, except he got it open

She gaped "How did you...? I've been trying to get that open for God knows how long" she told him

He laughed a bit at her amazement "Don't worry just don't-"

_*SLAM!*_

"-Slam it" he finished

"Oops"

He laughed "Don't worry, if you can't get it open later, just ask me, or my brothers and sisters if you can't find me, I'm sure they won't mind" he told her and smiled his flawless smiled.

"Thanks" she said shyly

"No problem" he assured her "So, what have you got now?" he asked

"Um, performing arts" she said

"Cool, same here, same class?" he asked

She gave him her lessons for today "Yep, come on, Me, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper are in that class too" he told her

"Cool, can you show me where it is?" she asked, looking around, starting to go in the completely wrong direction.

"Sure, oh and it's this way" he told her, pointing to the opposite direction to where she was going

She swirled on her heal to him and started walking in that direction.

He laughed again "Come on" he said and lead the way

Performing Arts

"Hello class, welcome back to your first Performing Arts lesson of the term" (Tami) performing arts teacher said

Bella was taken aback by the enthusiasm of her teacher; her teacher from her old school was usually bored by everything to do with it

"She loves everything about performing, to her there's nothing better" Edward explained

"Now, you have been split up into three groups, and this is a class of 6, if you didn't notice, and will be doing music" she told them

"Okay, so what are we doing in music?" Emmett asked

"Well, you have to choose a song that you all love, and perform it, simple really, don't you think?" she asked rhetorically

Free Period

"So, what song should we do?" Edward asked

"I don't know, there are too many great artists to choose from" Alice said

"Yes, I agree, but unfortunately that doesn't help us" Rosalie said

"Bella, what do you think?" Jasper asked

They all turned to Bella

"Um, well, personally, I like the song Whispers in the Dark by Skillet" She told them

"Okay, so, how does it go?"

She showed them the song

"Wow, that's cool" Edward said

"I agree" Emmett said

"So, this song?" Alice asked

"Wait, what about you guys, it can't be a song that I like, you all have to agree and what about your favourite songs?" Bella asked

"Bella, this is a great song, and we're doing it!" Rosalie told her

"Only if you want to" She made sure

"Then it's settled" Edward said

Science

"So, what you doing tonight?" Edward asked Bella

"Um, not sure really, my Dad's out for the weekend, so, nothing really I guess" Bella explained "You?"

"Nothing, actually, I was wondering if you wanted to come over" He told her

"Really? Are you sure?" she asked

"Yeah, if you want to" he told her

"Yeah defiantly" she smiled

"Good, I'll pick you up tomorrow then, around one maybe. Sound good?" he asked

"Yeah, sounds great" she agreed

Edward smiled

"So, my dad tells me that your dad is one of the best doctors around" Bella said, making conversation

"Really?" he asked surprised

"Yeah, he seems to like your Dad, and your family" she continued

"Yeah, well Carlisle is great, you know, he's there for you if you're in trouble, and will always help people he doesn't even know" Edward told her

"That's sweet" Bella smiled

"Yeah, it's who he is"

"How come you called him Carlisle and not dad?" Bella asked

"Well, Carlisle and Esme are my adoptive parents, me Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper are all adopted by them" he explained

"Oh, so are you guys adoptive brother and sisters, or blood related?" she asked

"Adoptive" he said

"Wow, you seem pretty close" Bella said

"Yeah, we are, we all know what it's like, and all have each other's backs, they're a great family to have"

"So, what happened to your mum and dad? Sorry if you don't want to say it's fine" "

Edward chuckled "No problem. My father died before I was born, he served in the army, went to war, and unfortunately he died"

"Oh my god, that must have been terrible" Bella said

"Yeah, I wish I knew him, when my mum was alive, she always told me how kind and generous he was towards others"

"How did your mum die?" Bella asked

"Her heart gave out, she was rushed to hospital, and died right in front of me, I felt so helpless" Edward told her

"It's not your fault"

"I know, sometimes it seems like it is, but I know"

"Didn't you have any siblings?" Bella asked

Edward smiled "Yeah, I have a sister, but she lives in America, we see each other from time to time, mainly stay in contact by e-mail, she used to live with us, when it was just me and Carlisle, this was before he and Esme met, but she found her own path, she's extremely talented, and I told her to go for it, and now she's making it in America" he smiled at the thought of his sister and how happy she must be

"What does she do?" Bella asked very happy to see him smiling

"She's a singer/actress" he told her

"Wow"

"Yeah, she's not that well known, but that's how she likes it, on TV doing what she loves, without the attention of others, just a few here and there"

"That's cool"

"Yeah, what about you, I know you live with your dad and that you came from America, but why did you leave America?" Edward asked

Science has now finished and they were heading to the car, they had a shortened time table today

"Well, my mum got re-married, and, he's great, but I felt like I didn't belong anymore, before Richard was around, I paid the bills, made sure everything was working, kept my mum safe, now he's there I don't have to do anything, and I felt I didn't want to be there, my mum's happy, and I don't want to interfere with anything, sure I could have stayed at a friend's, but we would have probably killed each other, we were all friends, but they weren't the best I could have asked for. That's why I'm so glad I moved here, I have found that even with the rain I love this place, I get to see my Dad more, and I've made the most amazing friends" Bella told him

They had begun driving by now

Edward smiled

"Wow, that's all I can say" He laughed, and she laughed along with him.

He looked back around and his laugh faded when he saw who was in front of his car when he stopped at a red light

"Oh no" this was not good

"What is it?" Bella asked

"See that woman right there"

"Yeah..." Bella was worried that it would be a very possessive girlfriend

"She's a very annoying person, who's been trying to get me to go out with her since I met her, thank God we go to different schools, otherwise it would make it twice as much unbearable, but she doesn't like it when I talk to girls, even my sisters, because she knows there my adoptive sisters, but that's still gross, but she's kind of twisted. So, be warned okay, and please don't get freaked out and not talk to me if she does or says anything, it's all a lies, okay" Edward told her

"Okay..." Bella said, taking it all in "What's her name?" She asked

"Victoria" (Jenny) he said with disgust in his voice

"Sounds like the name that belongs to a witch" Bella said

"Or a werewolf" Edward mumbled

"What was that?" Bella asked immediately

He looked up at her, realizing what he said "Uh, nothing, just agreeing with you on that one" he smiled and turned his attention back to the road. Victoria hadn't moved, but he started driving forward anyway

"Um, I know you don't like her, but running her over-"

Edward chuckled "I'm not going to run her over, she'll move, trust me"

And she did, the closer he got, the further she backed away, until she was completely out of sight of the car

"See, told you" he smiled

Bella smiled, until she noticed that they passed her street

"Um, you missed it" Bella told him

"I know, I'm not leaving you now I know Victoria is back in town, I don't trust her" Edward said with a certainty in his voice

"You say your dads away for the weekend?" he asked

"Yeah..." she said slowly

"You're staying round mine for the weekend then" he said firmly

"Edward, really, she's just a person, what can she do to me?" she asked

Edward looked at her "Trust me, you don't want me to answer that question" he told her, so gravely, it scared her.

"Look, I'm really sorry if I'm scaring you, but you have to understand, I don't want anything to happen to you, I want you to be on the lookout for her at all times, and if you see her, don't bother with your mobile, just call my name, and I'll be there, don't ask, just promise me you'll do it" Edward said, knowing he was confusing her, but needed her to understand.

"I don't see how you can be there with just the call of your name, but okay, I'll do it, I promise"

He smiled "Thank you Bella, you have no idea how much better that makes me feel" he told her

She smiled, knowing she just lifted a huge amount of weight off of his shoulders

"So, if I'm staying round yours, then I'm going to need clothes and everything" she told him.

"Right, okay, let's go back to yours then, but only for 15minutes max, then we go to mine" he said

At the Cullen's house

"What is he thinking, we don't have a bed for her or anything in the house" Jasper said

"Don't worry, as soon as I found out, I ordered one, should be here in about ten minutes" Alice told him

"But then we only have ten minutes to get it up and sort it out" Jasper reminded them

"Jasper, stop worrying, okay, we should be more worried about Victoria being back, this won't be pretty, especially now Bella's here, which I'm very glad she is, but it could make things worse" Esme told them

"Yeah, but it's going to be fine, because Victoria won't last a second if she tries to hurt Bella" Rosalie said

"Yep, not only does she have Edward, who will soon be her boyfriend, but she also has six vampires by her side, what more protection could you need?" Emmett asked

"It won't be enough for Edward"

"Nothing will ever be enough for Edward when it comes to Bella Jasper" Esme told him

"I know, but-"

_*Ding dong*_

"Ah, that must be the bed" Alice said and went to the door "Hello, thank you for delivering in such short notice"

"Hey, no problem, where would you like the bed?" one of the guys asked

"Last door on the right" Alice instructed

The two guys went upstairs to sort the bed out

"That's Edwards's room" Rosalie said

"Yeah, do you really think Edward will let anyone else but him make sure that she is safe, he trusts us, but he needs reassurance" she told them

"True" They agreed

At Bella's

"Bella, you ready?" he asked

"Yeah, come on, let's go" she said

As they were walking out they saw Victoria staring at them from across the road

"Damn it" Edward whispered under his breath

"Well, s...so she knows where I live...sh...She won't try anything...r...right?" Bella asked, knowing she was showing how frightened she was, but she didn't care.

Edward sighed "Victoria is going to be a problem, if you want to continue spending time with me, which I hope you do, then she is going to be one hell of a problem, think you can manage?" he asked

Bella thought _'Okay, Victoria, evil, unimaginable evil awaits if I continue to hang out with him, or, Edward, sweet, kind, I can tell he would never let anything happen to me...'_

Victoria was looking on intently, as if waiting for Bella's answer

"Well, you're going to have to put up with me, because I'm not going anywhere" I told him, he smiled brightly, we both looked at Victoria, and she was full of rage, glaring daggers at me

"Come on" he whispered

"Does she know where we're going?" I asked

He stopped, as if thinking for a second "No, but I'm going to have to drive fast if we are to lose her, and you can't mention anything about where we're going until we get to our destination, okay" he said

"Okay" she nodded

"Good, now get in the car" she did as she was told, she was strapped in

"Ready?" he asked

She nodded, and with that they drove off, with speed that should have been illegal to even make

Bella didn't know what scared her more, his driving at the speed of which he's driving at, and still managing to stay in control, or the fact that she loved every minute of it.

When they stopped, Bella saw a large mansion in front of her, her eyes widened in realization that this was where Edward lived

"Can I talk about our destination now?" Bella asked

"Yes" Edward allowed

"Does she know where you live?" She asked

"No" he answered

"Good"

He smiled "Come on, let's go inside"

They were walking up when another car drove into the driveway

"Hello Edward, how are you?"

"Hello Carlisle (Zeke, finally playing his actual role), fine thank you, you?"

"I'm very well thank you, who's this?" he asked

"This is Isabella Swan, but prefers Bella" he told him

"Nice to meet you Bella, are you staying?" he asked, already knowing the answer

"Yes, if that's alright"

"Of course, now, come in" Carlisle opened the door, to reveal a white wall coloured room, with black furniture. It all looked very nice and organised, and very clean"

"Hey Bella, welcome to the Cullen's household, here, let me introduce you to Esme, while Edward takes your bags up to his room" Alice said, dragging Bella off to meet Esme

Edwards Room

As Edward entered his room, he saw Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie making the bed

"Nice choice" Edward said

"Alice chose it, you're lucky she saw this coming you know, otherwise we never would have gotten this bed in time" Jasper said

"All I care about is Bella being away from Victoria, that's it, Bella safe, damn it! Why did Victoria come back?" Edward asked, helping them make the bed, now all was needed was the sheets

"No clue bro, all I know is, that she is trouble, I think that's obvious, but that's the thing, she only causes trouble" Emmett said

"Yeah I know, when Bella said she wasn't going anywhere, you should have seen the look on Victoria's face, it was priceless" Edward said sitting down on the new bed

"Man, I'd pay to see it" Emmett smiled

"We're going to have to be careful now she's back" Rosalie warned

"We know, we know" Edward sighed.

Dinner

"So, Bella, how do you like your dinner?" Esme asked

Edward, Bella, Carlisle and Esme were at the table, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had said they weren't hungry and went out.

"It's great, thank you Mrs Cullen"

"Please, call me Esme"

"Okay. Um, don't you guys want any?" Bella asked, as they hadn't eaten anything

"Oh, no thank you, Carlisle and myself have had a big lunch" Esme told her

"Edward?"

"No thanks, I'm not hungry" He told her

"Are you sure?" she asked, not wanting to be the only one eating

"Yeah, now eat" he told her

She smiled a bit and continued eating. They had ordered a small pizza.

"Okay, I'm full" Bella said

"Are you sure?" Esme asked

"Yeah, positive"

"Okay, well, Edward will show you to where you will be sleeping"

"Okay" Bella started picking up her plate, and was about to head for the kitchen, when she was stopped by Esme

"No, no Bella let me take that"

"No, really, it's fine" She said as Esme was taking her plate out of her hand

"No, now, Edward, show Bella to your room" With that, she took the plate into the kitchen, Carlisle was packing away the pizza box

"Come on" He started walking, Bella followed

They walked through Edwards bedroom door, and Bella saw a big bed, right in the middle, a sofa to the side, stacks of CD's and books. The room was painted white, like the rest of the house, with black furniture still.

"Well, this is where you'll be sleeping" Edward told her

"Okay, that's cool" she said

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked

"Um, I don't mind" she said walking over to the CD's "You have loads" she said while looking at them

"Yeah, I have a wide music taste range" he told her

"I can tell" she smiled

"Do you want to listen?" he asked

"Yeah sure!" she said

"Okay, pick one out" he told her

She browsed through, realizing they were all in alphabetical order, she looked at him strangely

"Hey, when you have so many, you need something like that to keep track of all of them, and so I can pick it out almost immediately when I want to listen to something" he explained

She nodded her head in agreement. She went back looking at the CDs and picked out one called Edwards Favourites

"Did you make this one?" she asked

"Yeah, it's also easier"

"Must be" she said looking back at the shelves.

"So, this is what you want to listen to?"

"Yeah, there are too many to choose from" she giggled

"Yeah, guess so"

He put the CD on and it came up with 'Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous' by Good Charlotte

"Know this song?" he asked

"Um, no, but it sounds good" she smiled

"Yeah, it is"

And that's how they spent the night, listening to music, not realizing that out there, Victoria was out there, looking for them, tracking them.

Saturday.

"Bella?" she heard her name being called, and a hand stroking her head, her eyes opened, and saw Edward smiling down at her "Morning Bella" her more or less whispered

"Morning" she said kind of tiredly

"You okay?" he asked

She yawned "Mm, yeah, you?" she asked

He smiled brightly "I'm great"

She smiled

"You ready to get up?" he asked

She shook her head 'no'

He chuckled

"What time is it?" she asked

"9:30am" he told her

"Okay, guess I have to get up then" she said

"Only if you want to, every ones out by the way" he told her

"Oh, okay. Where are they?" she asked

"Yeah, Esme and Carlisle are at work, Jasper and Alice have gone to the woods, and Rosalie and Emmett, actually I don't know where they are..." he told her

She giggled and got out of the bed.

"So, what do you want for breakfast?" Edward asked

"Um, I'll just have what you're having" she told him

"I've had breakfast"

"Already?" she asked.

He nodded

"Um, okay, I'll just have cereal" she told him

"Okay, I'll go make it while you get ready"

Kitchen

"Cereal, cereal, cereal. Okay, what does she like...man Alice bought tonnes, hmm, chocolate cereal, well, I've heard you can't go wrong with chocolate" he mumbled to himself

As he finished and put the bowl on the table, Bella walked through the door

"Hey, yay, my favourite" she said

He smiled; grateful he made the right choice out of about fifteen boxes.

"So, what did you have earlier?" she asked

He paused for a second "Hmm, oh, I had the same"

"So, what are we doing today?" she asked as he sat down at the table

"What do you want to do?" he asked

"What can I do?"

"What do you mean?" he asked

"Well, with Victoria, I would think what I am allowed to do would be limited" she told him

"So you're taking me seriously about this?" he asked, surprised, but thankful

"I have no reason not to, you wouldn't lie, and you know her better than I do, either way, I don't want to get involved with anything about her, so, what can I do?"

He smiled at the fact she really trusted him

"Well, we can go to a place that only I know of" he suggested

Bella smiled "That sounds good" she agreed

"Good"

Meadow

"I thought you said only you knew about this place" she questioned

"Well, out of everyone I know, I'm the only person that knows about this place"

"And how do you know that?"

"I have my ways" he smiled

"So, how long have you lived in England?" Bella asked

"Well, we've been coming back and forth over the years, usually to different schools, stuff like that, but this is the longest we've stayed" he told her

"Oh, so you move around a lot then?" she asked

"Yeah, we do, unfortunately, sometimes we go on holiday, and stay for a few months, then come back as well"

"So, you like travelling?"

"Kind of, it's not that much fun, but it's always fun when we get to where we're going"

"Obviously"

"Well some people do go on holiday just to travel"

"Like who?"

"Like I said, I've moved around a lot, you'd be surprised how many people actually do it for the travelling" Edward told her

"Wow"

"Mm-hmm"

Victoria

"I can't believe this, I go, and when I come back, he _with _someone, how can this be, we are meant to be together, I know what we are makes it forbidden, but we can work through it"

Victoria was currently in her room, which was painted dark red, with black furniture

"How could he do this? Is she a witch or something? Did she cast a spell on him?"

"Victoria" Jacob (Terry) sounded bored "We are enemies to them, we hate them and want to destroy them, can't you understand that?" he asked

"But Jacob, can't we kill all of them, including Isabella, and spare Edward?" she asked pleadingly

"How many times do we have to go through this, we will not spare any life, and we cannot kill Isabella because she is human" It sounded as if he'd said it hundreds of times before

"It's not fair" Victoria whined

"Whoever said life was fair?" Jacob asked

Victoria sighed "Well, let's get on with a plan to kill the bloodsuckers then"

Cullen's mansion

"Edward? Are you home?" Esme asked

"Nah, he went out with Bella, don't worry, they're fine, they're somewhere only Edward knows about, and Victoria won't find them" Alice told Esme

"Okay, any idea what time they'll be coming back?"

"Edward doesn't want to be out for long, probably about 20 minutes, half an hour"

"Okay then, that's fine"

Meadow

"You okay?" Bella asked

"Yeah I'm fine, why? He asked

"You seem, kind of quiet" she told him

"Concentrating" he told her

"On what?" she asked

"On making sure Victoria doesn't know where we are"

"How?"

Edward smiled "Don't worry, you'll know sooner or later.

Bella nodded and went back to staring at the sky.

Edward wondered what she was thinking, that's when it hit him, he couldn't hear what she was thinking. _'What's going on?'_ he thought _'Why am I not able to hear what she's thinking?'_

To an outsider, his thoughts wouldn't have made any sense.

"Hey, uh, do you want to go? I think Esme will be wondering where we are"

"Yeah sure, I don't mind" Bella told him

"Good, let's go then"

He got up and held his hand out to her. She took it and they started walking back to the car.

Cullen's mansion

"They're on their way back" Alice told them all

"Okay, he didn't sense Victoria did he?" Carlisle asked concerned

"No, actually he seems worried about something else" Alice told them

"What about?" Emmet asked

"Hey, I'm not the mind reader here, you're going to have to ask him yourself" Alice said

"So, before they get back, who thinks we should tell Bella the truth about us?" Rosalie asked

"I do" Alice agreed

"I do" Esme agreed

"I do" Carlisle agreed

"I wouldn't be against it" Emmet told them

"I'm on edge" Jasper told them

"What about Edward, what does he think?" Rosalie asked

"I agree, Bella needs to know" Edward told them, walking through the door with a very confused Bella.

"Okay, Bella, you may want to sit" She looked confused for a minute, but did as they asked

"Okay, this is going to sound, incredibly, unbelievable, but it's the truth, maybe Edward should tell you" Alice started

"Okay, Bella, basically, we're...well we're..." Edward sighed, Bella looked expectantly at him "We're vampires" he finally told her

Her eyes widened

"Now, we don't go around killing humans, we don't agree with that, we were taught, by Carlisle, to never touch human blood, we hunt animals, not cute, fluffy cats or dogs, but mountain lions and bears and wolves, Bella, are you okay?" Edward asked finishing his explanation.

"Uhm, I think, vampires? There's no such thing..." she whispered, but they heard

"Yes Bella, there are such things, I know it seems unimaginable, but it's the truth, now, we've told you, so we can protect you easier and because you have a right to know"

Bella nodded in understanding, but slowly, still processing everything.

"I think I'm going to take her upstairs to lie down" Edward told them

"What's she thinking?" Alice asked

Edward looked at them

"I...I don't know" he told them, they looked at each other

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Carlisle asked

"I don't know, I can read your minds, clearly, but Bella, I can't, I don't know why"

Before another word could be spoken about it, Edward took Bella upstairs to lie her down, so she could get over her shock.

Edwards room.

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" Edward asked when they got up to his room.

"I think so, you guys aren't trying to pull a joke on me are you?" she asked

He shook his head slowly.

"And, I don't have to be afraid of you?" she asked

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked, afraid of the answer

She shook her head no, he smiled.

"Good because you have no reason to be afraid of me or the others." He reassured her

She smiled.

"So, Victoria, is she human?" Bella asked

"No, she's a...well, she's..." He sighed "She's a werewolf"

"Werewolf" she mouthed

"Yeah, vampires and werewolves are worst enemies, Victoria thinks she's in love with me however, I do not have those feelings for her, she's not too happy and thinks that if she kills my family, then I will go to her, and she can save me. I get so scared that she will kill my family and leave me behind. Her brother, however, doesn't like any of us, and wants to kill us all, he always has to try and get Victoria to realize that we're enemies, she just won't let go, unfortunately." Edward admitted to her.

"Wow, I really don't like her" Bella giggled a bit. Edward smiled at the fact that she wasn't scared of his kind, and was still able to keep a smile on her face. "Don't worry, I am taking this seriously, I'm guessing this is why she gave me the look of death when we were at my house" He frowned a bit.

"Yeah unfortunately, she probably sees you as a threat, because she likes me, and now she thinks she can't have me, not that she ever could"

"Why would I make a difference?" Bella asked

They heard the front door slam.

"Thanks guys" he said in a normal voice. She looked confused, he smiled.

"Bella, do you remember when we first met?" he asked.

She nodded

"Well, I don't normally try and warn people, when I see people along the street; I either walk on by, or avoid them. I didn't with you, which got me confused, then I saw you at school, and it made me so unbelievably happy, Bella, you have no idea. Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I really like you Bella, and I think Victoria senses that, but Bella, I really do like you, and, well..."

Bella smiled at his confession

"...will you be my girlfriend?" he asked "I understand if you say no, I am a vampire, a monster, and I am, in a literal sense, so much older than you, and you may find that awkward, especially since I've been around for a lot longer than you have, and we haven't exactly known each other for that long, so if you say no, I will completely understand" he said so fast, but Bella, amazingly, caught every bit of it.

"Edward" She said

He looked up from his shoes

"I would love to be your girlfriend" she told him

"Are you sure?" he asked quickly

"Defiantly"

He smiled

They leaned in and kissed each other so softly, it didn't seem like a proper kiss, but to them it was.

His lips were so cold, like ice. Like he was a corpse, stiff, cold, like marble, but Bella loved it all the same.

Her lips were so warm to him, and so soft, and so sweet, he couldn't think of any better feeling.

"So, tell me everything there is to know about you, and I mean everything, I know you're a vampire now, so I want nothing left out" Bella told him

He smiled, it was true, he could tell her everything.

"It's going to be long" he warned her

"I don't care" she told him

He smiled

"Okay, well my name is Edward Cullen. I told you my dad died during the war, what I left out was that it was World War ll, my mum really did die in front of me, but then I got sick. My mum's last words to Carlisle were to keep me safe and alive, so he turned me into a vampire, I never liked that decision, until I met you, if he didn't turn me, I never would have gotten to meet you. Which is a scary thought when I think about it, I couldn't imagine not knowing you, and it's not nice at all for me to think about. I do have a sister, who was also turned by Carlisle, but she went to live in America, she is kind of famous, but doesn't like people knowing about her, like I said, I've moved around, a lot, my music collection is so big because throughout my life, you are opened to so much more than what one lifetime would be able to offer, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Emmet really are my adoptive brothers and sisters, I don't eat or drink anything except from dangerous animal blood, I am patient, I am able to read minds, but for some reason I'm not able to read yours, I have so many friends and enemies it's unbelievable, the worst enemies to a vampire is a werewolf, I am knowledgeable and am really getting tired of always going to school, but unfortunately it's needed every time we move somewhere new, and also there is so much to be learnt in different countries they teach different things, I can speak, English, Greek, Spanish, Italian, French and German, I've never had a girlfriend, even in my human life, until you, if I live in England I support Arsenal Football Club, I love to read, watch films, programs, and listen to music like any normal human, I am not able to sleep, I do not burn at the sight of a cross, or holy water, or by going into a church, or by sunlight, I like writing and making my own compositions, I play the piano, and I have finally found someone that I love will every part of me human and vampire, who I'd like to spend the rest of eternity with" Edward told her

She was speechless, he just told her everything about him, and said he wanted to be with her forever.

"I want the same thing Edward" She confessed

He smiled

"Is that possible?" she asked

He frowned "Bella, you don't want to become a vampire, you don't want to become a monster like me" he told her

"You are not a monster, and if being a vampire is the only way I can spend _'eternity'_ with you, then I'll do it" she told him

"Bella...think about it, that's all I ask, are you really willing to give up being a human, being able to go out in the sun all the time, it doesn't burn us, but we do have to keep hidden, and you won't be able to grow old, you won't be able to go to college, you'll have to stay in secondary school every time we move, you'll have to watch, every member of your friends and family pass on, you won't be able to have a normal life, is that really what you want?" he asked her

They looked at each other for a second, and Bella's answer became clear

"Edward, I'd give it all up in a heartbeat if it means being with you" she told him truthfully.

"Not now" he told her "Wait, I want you to have as many human, as many normal experiences as possible" he told her

"Okay, but, I want to be turned when I'm 17" she told him

"Why 17?" he asked pained

"Because a) that's how old you are, and b) I'm 16 right now, I have a whole year to do as many human experiences possible" she told him

He sighed "Okay, I'll think about it" he told her

"Thank you"

"Now, let's move off of this subject-"

"Will Victoria want to hurt me?" Bella asked

"And onto another painful subject. Bella, I won't lie, she will try, but she won't get near you, I will always be here, with you, you will always be safe, you don't have to worry about her" he told her

She smiled "Okay and all I have to do is call your name, right?"

"Of course, I will always be there, in a heartbeat" he promised

With Victoria and Jacob

"Victoria, I need to know, when we do get to the Cullen's, I need to know I can trust you to leave Isabella alone, and kill Edward" This had been on his mind since her outburst earlier

"I want her dead, but I want the Cullen's dead more, but I want Edward to live, but she'll suffer if he dies, and I'll be there to watch, and her suffering is all I need as a motivation to kill all the bloodsuckers, because she'll suffer for life, and I will take great pleasure in that, so no, there is no need to worry about me" she assured him

Jacob smiled relived and evilly, this was going to be easy.

Cullen's

"Now, we know they're after us, so we have to keep an eye out" Carlisle said

They were all currently, back, in the living room of the Cullen mansion

"Right, but when will they attack, we need to make sure Bella is safe" Bella was Edwards main priority.

"I've been going over this in my mind, how we can keep Bella safe, but I can't think of anything, Alice, anything?" Carlisle asked

"Well, there is one thing, but Edward and Bella already discussed it, they agreed on waiting until she was 17" Alice said hesitantly

Edwards's eyes widened "No, 17, that was the agreement, she needs human experiences" He pleaded

"Edward, what if it's the only way, what if, we try everything else we come up with, and I mean everything, and this is the only option, and not being with you is _NOT_ an option, what then?" Bella asked.

He sighed, she was right, if it was the only way to keep her safe, then they would have to do it.

"Fine, but let's go through our options, anyone?" Edward asked

"Move to another country?" Emmet suggested

"Can't go back to live with my mum, too sunny for you guys, and I can't leave my dad" Bella said reluctantly

"Bad suggestion, sorry" Emmet apologized

"No problem, we need as many as possible" Bella told him

"Us being around 24/7?" Alice offered

"We already would be, vampire or not" Edward vowed

"Body armour?" Esme suggested

Edward chuckled "I think that would do more harm than good considering Bella's clumsiness"

"HEY!" She yelled, she thought for a second "Well, yeah I guess so" she mumbled

They all laughed

"Well, what other options do we have?" Jasper asked

"I can't think of anything" Carlisle told them

"Me either and they could strike any day now" Rosalie reminded them

"I think turning you is the only option" Alice whispered "Edward?" she looked at him hopefully

He shook his head sadly

Bella suddenly jumped up in panic and started pacing up and down

"Oh My God, this isn't right, I shouldn't be putting you guys through this, this is terrible, if I hadn't of come here, then you guys would only have to worry about Victoria, but because I'm here, you have to worry about protecting me, taking up time where you could be preparing for whatever is coming, oh my God, this is bad, I shouldn't have put you in this position, Oh God, I should go, I really should, you guys need to prepare and everything, I'm just being a pain, I am so sorry an-" she was cut off by Edwards hand, she broke down.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." she repeated over and over

Edward had her in his arms, whispering, it was okay, she had nothing to apologize for, that everything was alright

Edward looked at his family, they were all shocked and saddened at the same time. He ran up to his room and sat on the bed, Bella was starting to calm down.

"I'm so sorry" she repeated

"Bella, look at me" she couldn't do it "Look at me" he gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him, she had tears still down her face

"Bella, you have no idea what you mean to me, if we weren't figuring out how to protect you, we'd be sitting around worrying when they would strike, helping you, helps us take our minds off it. Bella, if you hadn't of come here, my life, would be as empty as it was before I met you, you changed my life for the better, and if you leave now, I don't know if I would be strong enough to fight..." by now his voice was breaking "...Bella please, I'm begging of you, don't go, don't go, you are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, and I am not giving you up without a fight, you are staying, and we will protect you, unfortunately that may mean you becoming one of us, if that's what you want, but I cannot, and I will not, live the rest of eternity without you with me, understand?"

She nodded

"Good" he pulled her into a hug and they stayed like that for a while.

Downstairs

"It's understandable, she thinks she's a burden, truth is Edward loves her, so much, that we wouldn't have a choice even if we didn't want to protect her" Esme said

"Yeah, I mea-"

Alice stopped when they heard Edward talking upstairs

_*silence*_

"That has to be, the sweetest, most beautiful thing, I have ever heard" Alice said, barely above a whisper.

The rest nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile with Victoria and Jacob

"When should we attack?" Victoria asked

"One week, we need to be prepared, and know where they live, we need to know, one week, and we will, one week, and the Cullen's will die" Jacob said venomously

"One week it is then" Victoria said ghostly

The Cullen's

Edward and Bella walked down the stairs, back into the living room

"Hey, are you feeling better?" Alice asked

"Yeah, thanks, sorry about that" Bella said, kind of embarrassed

"Don't worry about it, Bella, it's understandable for you to feel this way, but don't worry about it, okay, you have nothing to worry about" Carlisle assured her

Bella breathed in "Okay" she let out "Thank you guys, so much"

"Our pleasure Bella, now, have we come to an agreement, on how we're going to protect you?" Esme asked

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, we will..." Edward started "...tomorrow we will turn her into one of us" They all looked at each other and nodded, tonight would be Bella's last night as a human, tomorrow, she will be one of them.

The next morning

Edward and Bella had been up most of the night talking about, life as a vampire, what the transition from becoming a human to a vampire was like, and the sacrifices she would have to make. Bella was fully prepared and was not turning back on her decision.

Bella had learnt, that she would have to miss some school, that she wouldn't be able to contact Charlie, unless through phone, she learnt that one of the Cullen's would bite her, and the transition would be painful and would last three days, and that at first, she would always feel hungry, for blood, human blood, but she was ready to take it on, she was ready, to become a vampire.

"Bella, are you ready?" Carlisle asked

"Yeah, who is going to...?" she asked, not able to finish

"Who would you like?" Carlisle answered deciding to answer with a question

"Edward" she whispered, so low, she thought even they wouldn't be able to hear it, but she sensed Edward tense for a minute, meaning they had heard.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked

"Bella, are you sure?" he asked

"Yes, I'm sure" Bella told him

He nodded "Okay, but, I..." he took a moment to think, and breath, even though he didn't mean to, it seemed natural "I don't want to kill you" He told her

"You won't" Bella promised

"You won't Edward, don't worry, I'll be there too, Bella won't get hurt" Carlisle promised

Edward nodded "Okay, I'll do it"

3 days later...

"Bella?" Edward called "Bella, you awake?" he asked

"Mm?" Bella was confused, she wasn't tired like she normally was just waking up, she could hear the rest of the Cullen's downstairs, she was suddenly more aware of everything"

"Are you feeling okay?" Edward asked

"Yeah, I think so, am I okay?" she asked, not sure if she was okay or whether something went wrong

"No, you look like a normal 'new-born' vampire, but I think you need to eat" Edward told her

"Yeah, I think so too" she agreed, she was feeling hungry, but she didn't know what for

"Come on, I'll take you on your first hunt" Edward smiled

"Okay" she said, a bit shakily, but completely up for it

Downstairs

"Looks like Edward and Bella have gone" Alice told them

"Yeah, Bella will need to eat" Esme said

"I hope she'll be okay, with being a vampire, she'll probably get used to it, but at first, it will be hard on her" Rosalie told them

"I know, it really will be, we have to make sure we're here for her, she needs as much support she can get" Carlisle told them

"Right, Edward will be here too, but I know, but you know Edward will be the only one who will be able to do anything to calm her down or anything, right?" Emmet asked

"Obviously...I don't know if Edward should go and fight with us" Rosalie told them "Or Bella"

"Why not? I understand Bella, but why not Edward?" Alice asked

"Because if something happens to one of them, the other would have to go the rest of eternity without each other, and you know as well as I do, they wouldn't be able to cope" Rosalie confessed

"But, that's just like our situations" Jasper told her

"Yes, but Bella and Edward, it'll be harder, they've only just found each other, and Bella, she only became a vampire to be with Edward, mainly, it would be unfair on her"

"We'll have to see what happens at the time, but we won't rule it out" Carlisle compromised.

Victoria and Jacob

"Two days Victoria, two days and the Cullen's will be dead" Jacob told her

"We know where they live and everything, but how are we going to make sure Bella doesn't get hurt, she hasn't been back home in four days, her father hasn't either, something about an extended fishing trip according to the voice mail, but what about her?" Victoria asked

"You know what? I don't care anymore, I want them dead, and whoever stands in my way, will be dead too" Jacob told her, laughing evilly

Victoria was shocked, but extremely happy at the same time, she could finally kill Bella, and the Cullen's, and all she would have to do, is wait two more days.

Cullen's mansion

"So, it's agreed, what we're doing, where ever we are, this is the plan, no going back?" Edward asked

"Yes, it will work, you know it will, besides, I know that they will attack in the house" Alice said smugly

"Okay, okay, just remember, expect the unexpected" Carlisle warned

"Now, we all need to get some rest, unfortunately, Bella seems restless, Edward, could you...?" Esme didn't need to finish her sentence

"Sure, no problem, come on Bella" He smiled when he saw her shoot up from the sofa and run upstairs, but still not fast enough to beat him, by the time she got into _'their'_ room, he was already on the bed.

He laughed when he saw her expression and held a hand out for her to come and join him.

She walked over to him and snuggled up to him, they couldn't sleep, but they could spend time with each other like this, they decided to keep the bed, it's more comfier than the sofa according to Bella, and was more spacious.

"You worried?" He asked, while playing with her hair

"Just a bit, hey, you can read minds, right?" Bella asked

"Yeah..." he agreed, not sure where this was going

"Alice can predict the future, Jasper can sense other people's emotions, Emmet is, or has to be, one of the strongest people alive, Rosalie, is beautiful, so, what can I do?" Bella asked

"Well, you're absolutely beautiful and stunning too you know" he told her, and kissed her softly

She smiled "No, but, seriously, what am I able to do?" she asked

"Don't worry about it" Edward smiled "Look, it may take a while, you won't know about it unless you need it" he assured her

2 days later...

With Victoria and Jacob

"It's time" Jacob smiled sinisterly

Victoria laughed evilly.

At the Cullen's

"So, Alice, anything new?" Rosalie asked

"All I can see is that it's in the house, and it will happen, soon"

"Let's get ready" Esme said.

They all got into their places, Edward and Bella upstairs, Emmet and Rosalie in the basement, Esme and Carlisle in the living room, and Alice and Jasper in the kitchen, everywhere was covered, they were prepared, and ready.

_*BANG* *BANG* *SMASH*_

Victoria and Jacob had smashed their way through the front door, and came face-to-face with Carlisle and Esme.

"Ohh, how sweet, parents protecting their kids, touching" Victoria sneered

"Hello Victoria, Jacob, I see you found our house" Carlisle replied calmly

Bella and Edwards POV

"Do you think every ones going to be okay?" Bella asked

"Yeah, we're only needed if absolutely necessary, it's going to be six against two, I'm sure they can handle it" Edward told her.

They were currently in Edwards's room, listening downstairs for the signal that they would be needed or that they were looking for them.

"It sounds bad" Bella said worriedly

"Don't worry, they'll be fine" Edward reassured her

"But, I don't like this, we should be helping them"

"We don't have to, remember, only if we're needed"

"Do you think they need us?" Bella asked

Edward sighed "I don't know" he told her honestly.

_"JASPER!"_ They heard Alice screech

Edward jumped up at the sound and the thoughts

"Edward, what is it? What's going on?" Bella asked frantically

_"NO STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"_ She screamed again.

"Edward..." Bella said cautiously

"Bella, you have to stay here" Edward told her

"No, I can't, and I won't, let you go down their without me, I won't be able to bare it" Bella told him

"Bella, I don't want you to get hurt" he told her "And the first person Victoria will go for will be you"

"Edward I-"

"Wait" He said gently

He looked at her "We have to go" he told her strongly and honestly.

She looked worriedly and in an instant, they were out the window and running down the street.

"Edward, we can't leave your family" she told him

"I'm not planning too"

"Then where are we going?" she asked

"Bella, do you know what Victoria was thinking?" Edward asked

She shook her head 'no'

"Well, I do, and trust me, you don't want to know" He warned her

"What are we going to do?" Bella asked "Where are we going?"

"We're going somewhere safe, then I'm leaving and going back" Edward told her

"No! Please, no way, don't leave me, if what you say, about Victoria is true, either let me come back with you, or don't leave" Bella begged.

"Bella, I-"

"Please, I'm scared, not of you, not of your family, but Victoria" Bella confessed.

"Okay, but, I can't leave my family Bella, but I don't want you to go back there" Edward slowed to a walking pace, with Bella still in his arms.

"Take me back with you, please, you can keep me safe, no matter where I am, she will find me" Bella told him. He knew it was true.

He sighed "Okay, we'll go back, but the first sign of trouble, don't hesitate, trust your strength and your speed, and run, understand?"

"Yes, I understand, I promise"

"Okay, let's go back then"

Cullen's Mansion

"Where are the others, too scared to show up?" Jacob laughed sinisterly

"Oh please, Edward, scared of you guys, never in a million years" Emmet laughed

"Aw, so he's trying to protect Bella, how cute" Victoria said sarcastically

"Please, at least he actually cares, you guys are putting each other in danger, and you're siblings, how can you live with each other?" Carlisle asked

"With great difficulty" Jacob mumbled

"HEY! What did you just say?" Victoria asked, well, more like demanded

"Victoria, keep focused" Jacob reminded her "How would you like to die then?"

"We're not dying today" Edward clawed his head off.

_"JACOB!"_ Victoria screamed "How dare you!"

"How dare you! You come into our house, trying to kill all of us, and why? Because we're enemies? Spare me, we've never had any trouble with each other before, the only reason for all of this is because you are so blind and so naive that you can't see that I don't love you! I have never loved you, and you have twisted it in your mind that we are supposed to be together, now, either you leave and stay away from us, or I will do the same thing that I have just done to your brother, got it?" Edward nearly yelled

"No Edward, you don't understand, we are meant to be toge-"

Edward cut her off

"No, we're not" he said looking down at her severed head. "How's Jasper?" Edward asked

"I'll live" He said, standing up

"Good to know" Edward smiled

"Okay, I think we should get some rest, you all need to go to school tomorrow" Carlisle told them

"Even Bella?" Alice asked

"Bella, do you think you can do it?" Carlisle asked

"I need to try, right?"

"It's up to you" Esme told her

"I will, I need to try"

"Okay, night guys" They all went their separate ways.

Edwards's room

"So, we don't have to worry about anything anymore?" Bella asked

"No, well, there is the Volturi, but they shouldn't have anything against you, so there's no need to worry about them" Edward told her

"Who are the Volturi?" She asked

"They're basically the leader of the vampires, they make the rules and control everything, they're the strongest vampires you will ever come across, but you shouldn't have to though" He reassured her.

"Okay, that's good, I don't want to get involved with something like that again" Bella confessed

"And you won't, I promise"

"Thanks"

They layed their, content, with each other.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"I have to ask you something"

"What is it?" Bella asked

"Well, it's quite sudden, I think, but I really want to ask you, we have forever now, I know, but I want to start forever now, I need to, so, well, I guess what I'm trying to ask is...Will you marry me?" he asked, fear in his voice

Bella smiled "Yes"

School.

Performing Arts

"Now, you've had quite enough time to rehearse your song that you have chosen, Edward, your group will go first" She told them

"But, miss-" Rosalie started

"No, you've had quite enough time, now, perform"

Emmet, Edward and Jasper singing.

Bella: Guitarist Alice: Drums Rosalie: Bass Guitar

"Whispers in the Dark" Edward introduced

Verse 1

_"Despite the lies that you're making,_

_Your love is mine for the taking,_

_My love is,_

_Just waiting,_

_To turn your tears to roses_

Verse 2

_I will be the one that's gonna hold you,_

_I will be the one that you run to, _

_My love is a burning, consuming fire" Emmet sang_

[Chorus]  


_No you'll never be alone _

_When darkness comes _

_I'll light the night with stars _

_Hear my whispers in the dark _

_No you'll never be alone _

_When darkness comes you know _

_I'm never far Hear my whispers in the dark" All sang_

Verse 3

_"You feel so lonely and ragged _

_You lay here broken and naked _

_My love is _

_Just waiting _

_To clothe you in crimson roses" Edward Sang_

Verse 4

_"I will be the one that's gonna find you _

_I will be the one that's gonna guide you _

_My love is a burning, consuming fire" Jasper sang_

"Excellent, why were you worried?" The teacher asked

"You have no idea" Edward mumbled, too low for human ears.

Bella's house

"Dad, are you home?" Bella called

"Yeah, I'm home, where have you been?" Charlie asked

"School" Bella told him

"Right, sorry, anyway, oh, hello Edward, nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too"

_'Oh great, they've just met, he doesn't know that I've been dating Edward, for about three days, and now I'm going to tell him we're getting married, great, just great'_ Bella thought

"So, Edward, are you staying for dinner?" Charlie asked

"Um, no Dad, we've just eaten" Bella told him

"Oh, okay then, so, what's going on?" Charlie asked

"What makes you think anything's going on?" Bella asked

"Because, you wouldn't bring him here for any reason, especially if he's just eaten, so what's going on?" He asked again

"Okay, Dad, if I were you, I'd sit" Bella told him

"Why?" Charlie asked, but did as she asked

"Dad, don't get mad"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Dad, um, I'mgettingmarried" Bella rushed out

"Say that again" Charlie said

"Oh please don't make me" Bella whispered

"Bella" Charlie started "Say that again, slowly"

Bella sighed "I'm getting married" she told him

"To who?" Charlie asked frantically

"Um, Edward" She said pointing to him

Charlie glared at Edward, with wide, animalistic eyes.

"You, proposed to my daughter?" Charlie asked

"Mr. Swan, I love your daughter, okay, I know we've only known each other for a short amount of time, and have been dating for even less, but I love Bella, more than you will ever know, and I know it seems like this will never work, because it's really fast, but I will do everything in my power to make sure this works, because like I said, I love her, and there is nothing in this world that will stop me from marrying her, even if it's in a few years from now, we love each other, trust each other, so why wait?"

"Please dad, just accept it" Bella pleaded

Charlie thought for a second "Fine, but have fun telling your mother"

Bella paled

"Um, yeah, thanks" Bella felt ready to throw up again

Charlie handed her the phone

"Hello?" The voice of Bella's mother's voice came through the phone

"Hey mum"

"Oh, hey Bella, I haven't heard from you, how's everything in England?" She asked

"Great, fantastic actually, I have some, well, pretty great news" Bella tried to be as enthusiastic as possible

"Really? Well what is it?" Her mum asked

"Well, I'm getting married" Bella told her

"Your what?"

"Mum, please, okay, he's really nice, and a gentleman, and it won't turn out like you and dad, just, please be happy for me" Bella begged

"When's the wedding?" she asked

Bella bit her lip "Tomorrow"

"Tomorrow?"

"We figured, why wait?"

"Bella, how am I supposed to get over there in time?"

"You mean, you're coming?"

"Of course I am, now, I am getting the first plane I can to England, I will see you tomorrow" She hung up

Bella was shocked

"Well, what did she say?" Charlie asked

"She said she'll be here tomorrow" Bella told him, still shocked

Wedding Day

"BELLA! ARE YOU READY?" Alice yelled

"Um no?"

Alice came storming in the room

"Why not?" She asked frantically

"I don't know what to do, I mean, seriously, and what am I supposed to do? say? Oh God, what do I do?" Bella was so nervous, if she was still human, she'd be throwing up at this moment

"Calm down, you have Esmes' old wedding dress, get changed, and we'll go from there, okay?" Alice reassured her

Bella nodded "Okay"

Bella walked into the bathroom, Alice called Rosalie

"Yes Alice" Rosalie walked into the bedroom

"I think Bella needs some help, she has no clue what she's doing" Alice told her

"Okay, so what do you want me to do?" Rosalie asked

"Help?"

"Fine, fine" Rosalie agreed "Where is she?"

"She's in the bathroom, getting changed" Alice told her

"Okay, I'll go get the shoes, accessories, and everything, you work on her make-up, sounds good?"

"Yeah, sounds good" Alice agreed

Bella walked out of the bathroom in her wedding dress

"You look beautiful Bella" Alice complimented

"Thanks" Bella said shyly

"Okay, I'll go get some things, Alice will work on your make-up" Rosalie told her, before exiting the room.

Bella sighed "I'm nervous" Bella admitted

"Why?" Alice asked

"I don't know, isn't it normal, I'm just nervous, it's a big step, you know?"

"Yeah, when I married Jasper, I felt the same way, but don't worry, it's the best, you do it, and never look back, trust me"

"Okay" Bella breathed in "Okay, I can do this"

"Yes, you can, it'll be fine"

The Church

_*music*_

Rosalie and Alice are brides' maids; Emmet is Edwards best man, Jasper is up there with them

Once Bella went up to the isle, they both recited their vows.

"Bella, do you take this Edward, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to cherish, for richer or poorer, 'til death, do you part?"

"I do"

"Edward, do you take Bella, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to cherish, for richer, or poorer, 'til death, do you part?"

"I do"

They smiled

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride"

Edward and Bella kissed, sealing the commitment of becoming husband and wife

"I love you" Edward told her

"I love you too" Bella replied sweetly

They looked around to see all of their friends clapping and cheering

"One hell of a lesson, huh?" Troy asked

"Absolutely" Gabriella replied.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Ok, so I wrote this chapter when I still liked Twilight, but nevertheless it's my longest so I'll keep it. _

_Hope you liked it all the same :)_


	28. College Talk

Troyella

**Chapter 28: College Talk [Edited]**

"Hey everyone" Troy greeted as they walked into school

"Hey Troy, hey Gabriella!" The rest greeted

"How is everyone?" Gabriella asked

"Great! Oh my God, yesterday was awesome!" Sharpay squealed excitedly

"Yeah, it was fun, how do you think we did?" Troy asked curiously

"Hopefully good, we put so much work into it" Zeke said

"Yeah, I know, I think we did okay" Gabriella said

"I don't" Sharpay said. They all looked at her "We did brilliantly!" She told them, like it was obvious.

Suddenly the bell rang, signalling that it was once again time for tutor.

"Come on, let's get to tutor" Troy said

They agreed.

"Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Chad, Kelsi, Jason, what you did yesterday, was amazing, you could see how much hard work you all put into it, and I'm pleased to say, you all passed" Mrs Darbus told them

They all smiled

"Oh, and Troy, Chad, Jason and Zeke, Coach Bolton told me to remind you, have a game against West High tonight, here at the school, so he wants practice during break, lunch and free period."

They all grinned, looking forward to the challenge.

"West, are going down!" Chad said

"Oh, most definitely" Zeke agreed

"Thanks Mrs Darbus" Troy said

Taylor and Ryan walked up to the rest of the gang

"Hey guys" Taylor said quietly

"Hey" Troy greeted, not coldly, but not welcoming either

"Look, we were horrible, and idiots, and we can't even believe what we did, we are so ashamed of ourselves, you can't even imagine" Taylor apologized

"Yeah, and Troy, I am so sorry for the way I treated your sister, it was harsh, and it wasn't right, or fair to her, and I just want to apologize for acting like a complete and total idiot towards her"

"And Chad, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have screwed up what we had, it was stupid of me to do so, I regret it so much, and I really hope you can forgive me, even though I don't deserve it, I know that, but, please, just, give me a second chance." she begged him "Give us a second chance" She directed more towards the whole group.

"Well, first I'd like to say, it was big of you to apologize, and I don't know about these guys, but I accept your apology, like I said I would, but Ryan, it's not me you should be apologizing to, for the way you treated my sister" Troy told them

"I know, I know, I am going to apologize to her, I swear"

"Taylor, I want to take you back, but I'm scared that you'll run off with someone else again"

Taylor hung her head low "I promise, I promise I won't, it was stupid of me, I wasn't even thinking" she explained

"Well, then, I supposed I can give you one more chance" Chad told her

Before he was able to even finish his sentence, she jumped in his arms and hugged him, like her life depended on it.

"Now, this is how every thing's meant to be" Kelsi smiled. The rest smiled along with her, knowing it was true. They were friends, the best of friends, and that's how it would stay.

_History_

"So, how do you feel about the game tonight?" Gabriella asked

"Surprisingly good, I think things will go well for us tonight, but I can't shake a bad feeling I have" Troy admitted

"You think you'll win, but you have a bad feeling?" Gabriella asked, kind of confused

"I know it's confusing, and sounds weird, but, it's the truth, I don't get it either"

"Don't worry about it, everything will be fine" Gabriella told him

"I hope you're right, the last thing we need is another reason for East High and West High to hate each other"

"Why do they hate each other?" Gabriella asked

"I'm not entirely sure myself. All I know is it started when the schools were first built, West always thought they were better than East, so, when we won everything that year, they couldn't take it, they were so angry, so we've had a lot to live up to, every year, we have to make sure, that we don't lose against West, and we have to stay positive, we can't lose to them, otherwise we won't live it down, as a team and as a school. They hate us because we're better than them, so we don't need another reason for them to have a grudge against us." Troy told her "That's just what I've heard anyway"

"That's pathetic. West High is pathetic. Seriously, I'm guessing they're competitive, or sore losers, or something like that"

"It's just the way it's been. The really sad thing is, me and Chad, we used to hang out with some kids when we were kids, and we were friends, right up until secondary school, we were friends in junior and infant school, but me and Chad came to East, they went to West, ever since, they've hated us. And we have no idea why"

"They obviously tell them lies about East High" Gabriella suggested

"Maybe, if that's true, I wish they wouldn't believe them" Troy sighed

"Hey, don't worry, you never know, things may get better, do you still see each other, around places?" Gabriella asked

Troy laughed a bit "Yeah, they're the captain and deputy-captain of their basketball team, kind of hard not to;" Troy chuckled

"Well, that's helpful, huh?"

"Very! Ah well, not everything can last forever I guess. Something's do, something's don't, just the way life is" Troy said

"Yeah, guess so" she said, kind of subdued.

Troy saw this "Do you know what I know will last forever?" he asked

She shook her head, writing notes in her book.

"Us. We will last forever"

Gabriella looked up at him and smiled "Yeah?" she asked

Troy nodded "Yeah, I love you. That won't ever change, you're stuck with me" he shrugged.

Gabriella giggled "Well, there isn't anyone I'd rather be stuck with" she told him.

Troy smiled, leaning down to kiss her softly.

**P.E**

"Now, we are going to be playing basketball, as you can imagine, this game tonight is important, we can't screw this up, so, I hope none of you mind, we will be practicing" Coach Bolton told them all.

"What are the people who aren't on the team supposed to do?" Taylor asked

"You'll all be playing; I'll make the captain spots fair. Troy, red team, Sharpay, white team"

"Wait, you want me, to be a captain?" She asked

"You have the potential, go for it"

Sharpay was shocked at his decision.

"Sharpay, you can pick first" Coach Bolton told her "There aren't enough for a proper team, but say five to a team seeing as you're all such a small group"

"Okay, I pick Zeke" She said

"Chad" Troy picked

"Taylor" Sharpay picked

"Gabriella" Troy picked

"Martha" Sharpay picked

"Jason" Troy picked

"Ryan" Sharpay picked

"Kelsi" Troy picked

"Excellent, now the teams are picked let's get on with the game"

"Coach, don't you think the teams are a little unfair?" Sharpay asked

"You chose them" he shrugged

It was five minutes until the end of the lesson.

"Martha, don't give the ball away too easily, great tackle Chad, excellent pass Gabriella, and Troy shoots, and he scores. The score is now _Red team_: 37 _White Team_: 17 excellent score. Guys who are on the team, stay for break, those who aren't, you may go to break."

"Coach, can't we have a break, and come back during free period?" Chad asked

"I don't know, this is a really big match, it qualifies us for the knock-out-stages"

"Dad, we promise, every chance we get today, will be spent in this gym, but let us have break, please?" Troy asked

"Okay, fine, have break, but remember, you're in here free period and lunch, then afterschool you may have a rest, but only because, Troy, your grandparents would like to speak to you, you left too early for them to remind you"

"And you think that was an accident?" Troy asked

Jack chuckled "Humour them"

"How about we have practice after school as well, after all, you said it was the game to get us into the knock-out-stages"

"Nice try, but no, they're already angry that you left early, now, go to break"

_Break_

"Why do my grandparents want to talk to me? Seriously, what could they possibly want to talk about?" Troy asked, mostly himself

"Maybe, your grandmother wants to apologize" Ryan suggested

"Yeah right" Troy said unbelieving

"Could be true" Sharpay agreed

"I'll tell you what, the day my grandparents apologize, well, mainly my grandmother, is the day I consider moving to West High, and what are the chances of that Chad?"

"Hmm, I'd say about, none in a million"

"Exactly" Troy agreed

They laughed.

"So what would they want?" Gabriella asked

"I have no idea, whatsoever" Troy said honestly

_After school._

Troy had dropped Gabriella home, like usual, and walked into his house, dreading, what on Earth this conversation could possibly be about

"College" his grandmother put simply

"College?" Troy asked "This is what you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked

"Yes. Now, I understand you've always wanted to go to a sport college, but lately you've gotten into performing arts, and I would like you to go to an academic college, so you see the problem" His grandmother put simply.

"Well, if we take out the last part, it makes the problem a bit simpler" Troy said, kind of annoyed he was talking about this with his grandmother. Of all people!

"Out of the question. So, you want to go to a sports college, or a performing arts college?" She asked

"There are colleges that do both, even all three" Troy told her

"Where?" she asked

"I'll look some up, but I know there are, so, their, problem sorted" Troy said, eager to get out of this conversation

"What will you plan on taking?" She asked "You'll have to take three of each if you think about going to the school I'm thinking of"

Troy really didn't know any kind of college that would let you do all three, but he decided he'd talk if it meant leaving sooner.

Troy was so close from letting a groan escaping his lips; he really didn't want to talk about this right now, not before a big game coming up.

"Basketball, Football, Golf. Drama, Dance and Music. History, Law and Psychology" he told them, these were areas he was interested in but he didn't know which area he really wanted to go into yet.

"Yes, for two years you do sport, for two years, you do performing arts, and for two years, you do academic" She told him

"Can we talk about this later? I have a big game coming up" Troy told her

"Of course we can" his grandfather cut in before his wife could speak

"Thank you"

_Gabriella's house_

"So, what did your grandparents want to talk about?" Gabriella asked when they were in her room

"College"

"So soon?" she asked

"Yeah" he said "You see, the dilemma was, I want to do sport, and I've been liking performing arts lately, and they want me to do academic subjects, you see the problem" Troy said, imitating his grandmother

Gabriella laughed "What did you say?"

"I said I'd think about going to a college that does all three." he told her

"Wow, you'd do that?"

"Yeah, gives me options" he said honestly "Apparently the one she's thinking of, you do one of the three for 2 years, then another for 2 years, then another, for the last 2 years" he said

"Wow, that kind of sucks, what did you say you'd take?"

"Basketball, football, golf, drama, music, dance, history, law, psychology" he told her

"Good selection" she complimented

"Yeah, that's if I go to that college, there may be one, where I can do less, which would be, great seeing as I really don't know what to do yet."

Gabriella giggled "Yeah" she sighed "I don't know where I'm going" she told him, it was obvious she had been worrying about it

"What, Gabriella, you can get into any college you want" he told her truthfully

"Maybe, but I don't know where I want to go" she told him.

"You'll have loads of offers"

"I guess. I'll think about it"

"No, you will not think about this until it is time to think about it, understand?" he asked her

She laughed "Yes, I understand"

"Good, now, what do you want to do, until we have to leave for the basketball match?" he asked her

"I don't mind, listen to music, watch a film, talk, I don't mind, it's up to you"

"I think talking, while listening to music, will be great"

Gabriella smiled

_**East High Wildcats vs. West High Knights**_

"Hello, and welcome to the East High Wildcats vs. West High Knights, basketball match. This is the match that will get them into the knock-out-stages, depending on whether they win or lose, so you know, that it will be even bigger than normal, neither of these teams want to lose today, so it should be an interesting match" The commentator said

_In the East High dressing room_

"Hey guys. We all want to win, but none of us can predict the score of this match. All I can say is, go out there and do your best, okay, that's all any of us can do, and as long as we do that, the score line won't matter, because we know we've done all we can. However, saying that, let's go out and try and win this match shall we?" Troy asked rhetorically

"YEAH!" The whole room filled with cheers

They ran out onto the pitch, enthusiastic to get the game started

_**"WHAT TEAM?"**_ Chad yelled

_"WILDCATS!"_

_**"WHAT TEAM?"**_

_"WILDCATS!"_

_**"WHAT TEAM?"**_

_"WILDCATS!"_

_**"WILDCATS?"**_

_"GET'CHA HEAD IN THE GAME!"_

They shouted and cheered as they came out of the dressing room, basically telling West High, this was their school, and their ground, and if they think they can beat them, they have another thing coming!

"So, you think you can beat us?" The West High captain, Chris Bradley asked

"We could beat you with our eyes closed" Troy told them

"Please, you can barely beat us with them open"

"And, which time was that?" Troy asked rhetorically

"I'd watch it if I were you, Bolton"

"Is that a threat?"

"I think it is"

"Well, I'm not worried, I know how you guys work, and I'll always be one step ahead"

Troy walked off, smirking, knowing he left them thinking and a little freaked. _'Morons'_ he thought, shaking his head, also sad that it had come to this between himself and his old friends.

_"There are ten minutes left of the game!"_ The commentator announced. _"East High are in the lead, 56 - 48, it's going to be a close one. Oh and Bradley has the ball and is heading up the other way, he passes to Blake, and he passes back to Bradley, he shoots, and oohhh, Baylor defends it nicely and passes it to Danforth, he runs up, passes to Bolton, he shoots, and he scores, 58-48 to East High Wildcats. But the game is far from over, according to the clock, there is 7 minutes, no wait 9 minutes, wait, that can't be right, 6 minutes now, what on Earth is going on?"_

The game suddenly stopped.

"What's going on?" Chad asked Troy

"I don-" he stopped, and realized it was thundering and raining outside "The weather is making the power go" he told him

"But Troy, the doors, all around the school, they've just been replaced, haven't they?" Zeke asked

"Yeah, so?" Jason asked

Troys eyes widened in realization "They're electric" with that he went running over to the doors, Chad, Zeke and Jason following closely behind. Troy tried pushing and pulling the doors, they wouldn't budge.

"Looks like we're stuck, stuck in the school, and stuck with them"

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Decided to turn this chapter into two chapters, to keep the suspense :)_

_Hope you like it :)_


	29. West Stuck In East

Troyella

**Chapter 29: West Stuck in East [Edited]**

_"What's going on?" Chad asked Troy_

_"I don-" he stopped, and realized it was thundering and raining outside "The weather is making the power go" he told him_

_"But Troy, the doors, all around the school, they've just been replaced, haven't they?" Zeke asked_

_"Yeah, so?" Jason asked_

_Troys eyes widened in realization "They're electric" with that he went running over to the doors, Chad, Zeke and Jason following closely behind. Troy tried pushing and pulling the doors, they wouldn't budge._

_"Looks like we're stuck, stuck in the school, and stuck with them" _

"You're kidding?" Chad asked

"Afraid not, man" he sighed, and looked up to see the head teacher "Sir" he yelled and went to him.

"Troy, what is it?" he asked "We have a problem with the score boards, we're trying to figure the problem out, I know you want to carry on with the match, but-"

"No, that's not it" Troy interrupted

The head teacher, Mr. Hail looked confused "Then what is it?" he asked

"The score boards, they're crazy because of the weather outside is making all power and electricity crazy. But the thing is, the school has just replaced the doors with electric ones, so we're stuck, in here, with West High, I just thought you'd like to know" Troy told him

"Well...thank you, we will set to work at once"

"We've tried opening it manually, it won't work, and the phone signals will be dead"

"Don't worry, leave it to us, you just go with your friends"

Troy nodded and made his way over to Gabriella

"What's going on?" Gabriella asked

"He said to leave it to him, which to me doesn't sound good" Troy told her, knowing the others will have told them about what was going on with the doors

"This sucks" Sharpay stated

"Yeah, worst of all, we're stuck with them" Chad said, glaring over at West High. East High and West High had automatically migrated to different sides of the gym.

"Well, unfortunately we are, so we're just going to have to deal with it" Zeke said

"Now, students" Mr. Hail started, making everyone in the room look at him. "Thanks to Coach Bolton, for not getting the doors to the dressing rooms changed, the staff of both schools will be in there, and try to work out how we will fix this, we ask you all to behave, and, for just a while, try to be civilized with each other"

Just like he said, when he was done with his speech, they all went into the dressing room, and left the students alone.

"Is it safe to be letting two schools that hate each other, be in the same room, unsupervised?" Gabriella asked

"Probably not, but East are smart, they won't start anything" Troy told her

"What about West?" Kelsi asked

Troy sighed "West, are a whole different story."

"Hey, Bolton, if your school hadn't gotten electric locks, we wouldn't be in this situation you know" Chris yelled from across the room.

"Yeah, you don't say, but, unfortunately, we have to put up with it, so, unless you have anything to say that can actually get us out of this situation, then I suggest you shut up, while we do figure something out, got that Bradley?" Troy said calmly.

He stayed silent, Troy sighed

"Hey, man, what are we going to do?" Chad asked

"I don't know there has to be some way out of here" Troy said, looking around.

"I SAID GO AWAY!" They all turned their heads to see a girl, Martha, being annoyed and picked on by Chris Bradley and Jordan Blake.

"Aww, are we bothering you? Would you like us to go away?" They asked, taunting her.

"HEY, leave her alone, guys, what's your problem? Troy asked, stepping in.

"Nothing, do we need a reason?" Jordan asked.

Troy looked at them both. "What the hell happened to you guys? We used to be friends, remember, you never used to be like this, what the hell happened?"

"We changed" Chris smiled

"You changed, or the school changed you?" Troy asked.

"What are you talking about? Look, Troy, it's not like we can go back in time and change it, okay, so, give it up" Jordan told him.

Troy looked at Chad.

_Troy: Take It Back To The Place Where You Know It All Began._

_(Chad walks up and joins Troy)_

_Chad: We Can Be Anything We Wanna Be!  
Both: You Can Tell By The Noise That The Boys Are Back Again!  
Chad: Together Makin' History!  
Chris: Its Time To Show How._

_(His eyes widen)_

_(Troy smiles) Troy: To Be A Superhero. Jordan: Just Like A Showdown,_

_(His eyes widen)_

_(Chad smiles) Chad: Will Smith and Bob DeNiro Troy and Chad: Were The Best,Theres No Doubt.  
(Chris and Jordan laugh) Troy: Turn It Like We Used To Do.  
Troy and Chad: This Is Our Town.  
Both: And Were Telling You All!_

_(Dancing from film, if you haven't seen the film, make some dancing up?)_

_The Boys Are Back! Hey!  
The Boys Are Back!  
The Boys Are Back,Gonna Do It Again! Gonna Wake Up The Neighborhood!  
The Boys Are Back! Hey! The Boys Are Back!_

_(Run up the seating stands 5 rows up.)_

_Climbin' Up The Walls, Anytime We Want!_

_(Jump down)_

_The Word Is Out, The Boys Are Back!_

_The Boys Are Back, Back To Save The Day.  
The Boys Are Back, Oh Yeah._

_(Troy while singing: Beckons Jordan and Chris with his hands)_

_Troy: Keep Coming With The Right When We Fight Every Single Time! Chad: Undefeated Here In Our House, Yeah!  
Both: We Can Rock, We Can Shock, Anytime We Like._

_(Arms spread out, showing no fear)_

_Chad: Tonight We're Goin All Out!_

_(Chris stands up)_

_Chris: Its Time To Show How.  
Troy: To Be A Superhero!_

_(Jordan stands up)_

_Jordan: Just Like A Showdown,  
Chad: Take The Pedal To The Medal!  
Troy: GO!  
Chris and Jordan: Were The Best,Theres No Doubt.  
Troy: Turn It Like We Used To Do.  
Chris and Jordan:This Is Our Town.  
Both: And Were Telling You All!  
Chad:Look Out!_

_(Troy and Chad 'fight' against Chris and Jordan)_

_The Boys Are Back! Hey! The Boys Are Back!  
The Boys Are Back,Gonna Do It Again! Gonna Wake Up The Neighborhood!  
The Boys Are Back! Yeah! The Boys Are Back!_

_(Troy jumps over Chad, resting one hand on his back as he jumps)_

_Climbin' Up The Walls, Anytime We Want!  
The Word Is Out, The Boys Are Back!_

_Troy: Here To Change The World!  
Both: To Solve A Mystery, Fight The Battle, Save The Girl! No One Can Stop Us Now, We're The Ones That Make The Rules!_

_OHH!_

_(Troy and Chad jump forward to face Chris and Jordan, they have a dance-off type thing)_

_The Boys Are Back_

_(Continues)_

_Troy: OHH!  
Chad: OHH!  
Both: YEAHH!  
The Boys Are Back! Hey! The Boys Are Back!  
The Boys Are Back,Gonna Do It Again! Gonna Wake Up The Neighborhood!  
The Boys Are Back! Yeah! The Boys Are Back!  
Climbin' Up The Walls, Anytime We Want!_

_Troy: No Need To Worry, Cause Both: The Boys Are Back! Hey! The Boys Are Back!  
Chad: Look Out Now!_

_(Troy jumps round to find Chris there)_

_Both: The Boys Are Back, Gonna Do It Again Chad: And We Make It Look Good!  
Both: The Boys Are Back! The Boys Are Back! Climbin' Down The Walls, Anytime We Want! I'm Sure That You Know By Now_

_(All four stand back-to-back)_

_The Boys Are Back!_

"Now, what was that about going back in time?" Troy asked

"Alright, I'll admit, that was fun" Chris smiled

"Like it was before we got into Secondary School" Chad said

"Yeah, I guess when we went to West, we were surrounded by people who hated East, and we wanted to fit in" Jordan admitted.

"So, what do you say, friends?" Troy put his hand out

Chris smiled "Friends"

They all shook hands and did a _'man hug'_ thing.

"So this thing between East and West, is it finally over?" Chad asked

"I think it's safe to say it is, well, we'll make sure of it" Jordan said looking back at his school. "Will your school be okay with it?"

Troy looked around to see smiles on their faces.

He laughed "Yes, they are defiantly okay with it".

"Finally"

The whole room looked round to see all the staff just outside the door to the dressing room

"I mean, really, took long enough" They found Mrs Darbus to be the one talking.

"Well, we couldn't really do anything about it when we weren't here" Chad told her

"Yes, I know, although I am surprised that it was you too getting the schools to finally like each other"

"Why?" Troy asked

"Not sure." She shrugged and made her way back into the dressing room

Troy looked at his dad. He shrugged, and they all went back into the room.

"That was weird" Chris said

"Who? Mrs Darbus? Nah, she's always strange" Chad told them

"I heard that" Her voice came from inside.

"Oops"

"So, have you guys figured out a way to get us out of here, yet?" Chris asked

Troy sighed "Not yet, this is a nightmare"

"Mm-hmm, agreed"

"Umm, so, we, as in West and East, can talk to each other now?" a girl asked

"Yeah Violet, why?" Jordan asked

"So, if I wanted to talk to Taylor McKessie, that would be okay?" she asked, making sure.

"Well, it's obviously up to Taylor, but yes" Troy told her. He looked over to Taylor.

"Umm, yeah sure, we can talk" Taylor said

"Awesome" She said walking over; Taylor went to meet her half way.

After that, both schools started to mingle

"Hey Troy"

Troy turned to see Gabriella

"Hey" He greeted, and pulled her into a hug.

At the moment they were sitting on the stands. Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Chad, Zeke, Ryan, Kelsi, Jason, Taylor, Tami, Chris, Jordan, and other members of West High basketball team, Harry, James, Max and their girlfriends, Holly (Chris), Violet (Jordan), Hannah (Harry), Lucy (James) and Maria (Max).

"How is everyone?" Gabriella asked

"We're all good, where have you been?" Sharpay asked

"Oh, no where" Gabriella told her "So, what have you guys been talking about?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing much, we were just asking who was with who really" Chris told her

"Oh okay"

"Yep, so, is anyone going to start?" Harry asked.

"Well, I think it's obvious me and Gabriella are together" Troy told them

"Me and Sharpay" Zeke said

"Me and Taylor" Chad told them

"And me and Kelsi" Jason told them

They stopped

"Aren't you guys together?" Hannah asked

"It's complicated" Tami answered

"Could you uncomplicated it?"

"Lucy!" the West High part of the group yelled

"Sorry about her" Maria apologized.

"Don't worry about it, but it is kind of personal-" Ryan started

"Don't say another word, we understand" Max told him

"I still can't believe we're all sitting here, talking, not yelling, but talking, it's, weird, in a good kind of way" Violet said

"I know, I never thought it would happen, East and West, finally friends" Taylor said

"We never had to be enemies, it's just the way are schools worked"

"Troys right, why did we ever let the schools change us?" Chad asked no one in-particular

"Well it didn't change you guys, you actually wanted to hang out with us, remember, after the first day of school, we are so sorry about that by the way" Chris apologized

"All in the past now" Troy assured them.

"Hey, it's stopped raining" Kelsi told them

They ran over to the windows and doors, Troy and Gabriella were the only ones left.

"You okay?" Troy asked Gabriella, noticing she's been a bit quite

"Yeah" she said avoiding his eyes

"Gabriella, I know you, okay, what's wrong?" he asked

"Nothing, I just spoke to some people who go to West, they went to my old school" Gabriella told him

Troy frowned, remembering what she said about her old school "That's bad, right?"

"Look, East and West have just become friends, let's not get into this, okay"

"Gabriella I-" he couldn't finish, as everyone was starting to come back.

"Well, it's stopped raining" James confirmed

"But the doors are still locked" Zeke told them.

"What are we going to do?" Sharpay asked dramatically.

Those from West all looked at her weirdly.

"Oh, she's the drama queen of the school" Chad told them

"HEY!" Sharpay yelled

Those from East, including Troy and Gabriella, who had been in their own world until now, all looked at her

"Okay, okay, maybe a little"

"A little?" They asked

"Okay, maybe a lot"

They nodded.

West laughed

"You guys know each other inside out, don't you?" Harry asked

"Pretty much" Tami said.

"Oh, I have to ask, do you and Troy still do that thing, where you know exactly what the others thinking, like, I don't know, you always thought the same, and always managed to know what the other wanted, whether it was, making sure you both got to stay away from your grandparents, sticking up for each other, stuff like that?" Chris asked

"Oh, they're still like that, trust me, it can be annoying" Sharpay told him.

"Wow, that's amazing" Jordan said.

"Troy, you okay?" Tami asked, noticing he was looking in a different direction.

They others looked to where he was looking.

He nodded in the direction he was for Tami.

She saw Martha sitting by herself.

She looked back at him, and tilted her head.

Troy shrugged and nodded his head.

"See, like that, it's weird" Chris said

"Hey, Martha!" They yelled together, making everyone jump.

She looked up, they waved their hand for her to come over.

"They do that a lot?" Max asked, wide-eyed

"A hell of a lot" Kelsi said.

"Yeah?" she asked, in a shy, timid voice.

"You want to come and join us?" Tami asked

"Um, I don't mind, if you don't mind"

"Sure, come on, sit" Taylor said.

She smiled and sat down with them.

"Listen up, students" The staff of East and West looked around amazed that students from both schools were actually talking.

They all looked up to look at who was speaking.

"Now, we think we have an idea of how we can get out of here" Mr Hail announced

Everyone started mumbling and whispering excitedly.

"Now, we think, that someone can get through that window, with a key, that only works for the front door, electric locks and everything, if they can fit through the window, don't worry, there is ground as soon as you step out, with the key, then we can get out" Mr Hail told them.

"So, who goes through?" a boy from East asked.

"Well, the window is quite big, so whoever wants to" he told them.

Everyone stayed silent.

Troy sighed "How big is it?"

"Big enough" Mr Hail said hopefully.

Troy looked around "Alright, I'll do it then, I guess." He said "Unless anyone else would like to?" he asked

Gabriella's eyes widened at the thought of Troy leaving "I'll do it, if you do it" Gabriella told him

"How many people can go?" Chad asked

"We hadn't thought about it really" Coach Bolton admitted.

"Thing is, it'll take more than one person to get that thing open, if the electrics are messed up, it'll be a lot of work, won't it?" Chris asked

"I guess so..." Coach Bradley said.

"So, how many?" Chad asked again.

"How many of you want to go?" Mr Hail asked

"One second" Kelsi said

"Who wants to go?" Zeke asked

"I'll go" Troy told them

"If Troy's going, then I am" Gabriella said, defiantly.

Troy looked at her, worriedly.

"I'll go" Chad told them

"I will too" Chris said

"I'll do it" Jordan said as well.

"Me too" Sharpay announced

"That's 6, do you think that will be enough?" Ryan asked

"Make that 7, I want to go" Tami told them

"Alright, those who are coming come on" Coach Bradley said

Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Sharpay, Tami, Chris and Jordan rose from their seats and followed them into the dressing room.

_In the dressing room._

"Okay, who's holding they key?" Coach Bolton asked

They stayed silent

Troy held out his hand.

"Thank you, Troy, now, you are all going to go through this window, go around to the front, and open the door, simple, yes?" Mr Hail told them

"It sounds simple, but it will probably be anything but simple" Troy mumbled, only for them to hear.

"Ready?" Coach Bradley asked

"Yeah" Chris said

"Then go"

Troy went first, followed by Gabriella, followed by Sharpay, followed by Chad, who got a bit stuck, followed by Chris, followed by Jordan, followed by Tami.

_The front of the school._

"Do you think this will work?" Troy asked

"No reason why it shouldn't" Chris said

"Okay, let's do this"

Troy put they key in and tried to turn it, he tried both ways, and it wouldn't work.

"What's wrong with this?" Troy asked

"It has a password too" Gabriella said, and pointed to a large pad with a screen and some numbers.

"Damn, well, we have to go back and ask then" Troy said

"Hey, only one of us needs to go, I'll go" Sharpay said

"You sure?" Troy called, as she was on her way

"Yeah" She called back, and she was round the corner.

"So, what now?" Chad asked.

_With Sharpay._

_'Hmm, I wonder why they didn't tell us about the password, they probably forgot, it's gotten dark now, I should have brought my phone, I might have been able to get a signal out here, oh well. After this they had better let us have a week off, knowing them it will only be a da-'_

"WHOA!" Sharpay slipped on the slippery mud left by the rain, and bashed her head on something metal on her way down, leaving her unconscious

_5 minutes later, at the front of the school._

"Where's Sharpay? Shouldn't she be back by now?" Chad asked

"I'll go look for her" Troy said

"Shouldn't someone go with you?" Tami asked

"Tami I'll be fi-"

"No, don't worry, I'll go" Gabriella said, getting up

"You sure?"

"Yeah, come on" She said.

They walked off

"Hey, I have to ask, is Gabriella always so, I don't know, clingy, around Troy." Jordan asked

"Not really, I don't know, she probably has some explanation for it" Tami told him.

He nodded

_With Troy and Gabriella_

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Troy asked

"Yeah, why?" Gabriella asked

He shook his head "No reason, just asking"

"Okay, you okay?" she asked

"Yeah, I'm fine" he smiled

He looked forward to see an unconscious Sharpay.

"SHARPAY!" He called, he and Gabriella started running towards her

"Careful Troy" She called out

He realized that she had slipped on the mud, and bashed her head, he immediately slowed down.

Gabriella caught up.

"Sharpay?" they called, shaking her a bit.

"She'll wake up soon, she doesn't seem to have any visible injuries, come on" Troy said.

He picked her up, and carried her to the window

"What happened?" Mr Hail asked, while Coach Bolton took her from Troys arms.

"She was coming back to get the password, she slipped on the mud and hit her head on some metal" Troy told them

"Is she okay?" Mrs Darbus asked

"She doesn't have any visible injuries, but I don't know about anything else. Anyway, could we have the password now, please" Troy asked

"Yes, it's...It's..." Mr Hail started, but couldn't seem to remember.

'_Please, tell me you know the password'_ Troy begged and pleaded in his head.

"Troy, its 58471"

"Thanks Dad"

Troy and Gabriella started walking back, making sure not to slip or anything.

"So, East and West, finally friends, how do you feel?" Gabriella asked

Troy laughed "It's great, you know, we can finally stop all this rivalry"

Gabriella smiled. She sighed "I'm worried about Sharpay" She admitted

"Me too, me too, but she'll be fine, okay" he assured her.

"Yeah, nothing can keep her down for long" Gabriella laughed

"You're right about that"

"Hey, do you remember the password?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

He smiled "58471"

"Yep" she agreed. She leaned up and kissed him softly.

They smiled and turned the corner

"Hey, where's Sharpay?" Chad asked

"She's back in the building, unconscious" he told them

"WHAT?" They all yelled

"She slipped on the mud, and hit her head on some metal, and now she's unconscious" Gabriella told them

"Will she be okay?" Chris asked

"Hopefully, she has no visible injuries, so hopefully she'll be fine" Troy told them

They all sighed in relief

"Did you get the password?" Tami asked

"Mm-hmm put the key in" he had given in to Tami to hold while they went back

She put it in.

Troy stepped forward, while she moved. He typed in '58471' and turned they key, the light went from red to green, and the door opened, turning the lights on, and opening all the doors in the school.

They smiled at each other and ran towards the gym, Troy opened the door, and they all walked through.

"Hey" Troy yelled. Everyone looked at him, curiously. "Doors open" he said in an obvious manner.

Everyone got up and legged it out of the building.. Blue and red, leaving together, making plans to see each other again.

"Guess this wasn't such a bad thing after all" Chris said

"Guess not" Chad agreed.

"Hey, how did it go?" Ryan asked

They told them what happened.

"Is Sharpay okay?" Zeke asked frantically

"I'm fine" They heard a small voice behind them

"Hey, you scared us you know" Troy told her, as they all got up and hugged her.

"Yeah, even us, and we don't even know you that well" Maria joked.

Sharpay laughed.

"Sorry guys, and thank you guys" she said to Troy and Gabriella

"For what?" they asked

"For bringing me back" she said

"Yeah, like we're going to leave you unconscious behind the school building" Troy said sarcastically.

She laughed.

"What do you guys say about going home and getting some rest, it's been a long night?" Max asked

"Yeah, I agree" Troy said

"Alright, when are we going to meet up again?" Jordan asked

Troy thought for a moment "Hey, in 3 days we have that concert down at P3, do you want to come?"

"If it's okay with the rest of you?" Chris asked

They all agreed it was fine.

"Awesome, see you then" They walked out to their cars, and went home.

"What a night" Troy sighed

"Yeah, good thing you did talk to your grandparents earlier" Gabriella said

Troy shuddered at the thought of his grandparents, what they would do if he hadn't of talked to them.

They reached their houses.

Troy got out, and opened Gabriella's door for her.

She giggled "Thanks" she smiled

"You're welcome" he smiled back.

"Hey, how much stuff do we have to do? Like, the musical is now done, how much else?" Gabriella asked

At the moment they were sitting on a wall, facing each other.

"Well, we have the concert, we have the BBQ, we have Christmas, we have New years, we have many, many dates, and a week tomorrow, we have a year's anniversary of knowing each other on New Years"

"Yeah, wow, a year, it's gone so fast" Gabriella said amazed.

"I know, hey, you doing anything for New Years?" Troy asked

"I don't know, why?"

"How about we go back, to where we met"

Gabriella jumped up with excitement

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it'll be great, what do you say?"

"Yes, defiantly, I would L_OVE_ to" Gabriella giggled excitedly.

"Good, then it's settled"

"Gabriella" Troy and Gabriella turned to see her mum in the door way. "I think you should come in, it's quite late"

"Okay, I'll be in, in a second" She promised.

"Okay"

The door closed, and they got off the wall.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow" Gabriella said

"Yeah, see you tomorrow" Troy agreed.

They leaned down and kissed each other goodnight.

It was 2am. Troy was asleep, when he heard Tami.

"Troy, Troy, wake up" Tami was shaking him

He groaned "Tami, what is it?" he asked

"Do you hear that?" she asked

He listened for a moment

He heard faint giggles coming from outside.

"It's people laughing" He said, obviously.

"Yeah, look outside, and look where they are" Tami told him.

Troy got up and looked out of his window to see 4 girls, outside Gabriella's house, giggling

"Who are they?" he asked

"No idea, they've been there for a while though, I heard a smash, looked outside and they were there. I would have gone out, but they don't look like they type who would be beaten easily by a younger year, sorry" Tami apologized

"Tami, don't worry, I think I recognize them, I noticed them today" Troy sighed "I'm actually glad you didn't go out, okay, go to the phone, if I say _'that's it, I'm calling the police'_ then call them, make sure I say _'that's it'_ first though, okay?" Troy told her.

He was now dressed in some jeans, ready to go outside.

"Okay, I got it" Tami assured him.

"Good, see you in a bit, I guess"

Troy walked out his front door, to find they were still there, whispering.

"Excuse me? Hi, what are you doing here; it's like, 2am?" Troy asked, walking to Gabriella's garden.

"Nothing, we just wanted to come and see Gabriella, you see we're old friends" one of the girls said.

"What are your names?" Troy asked

"I'm Stacey" One of them said, she was brunette, and looked like the leader of the group. The one who spoke the first time.

"I'm Megan" Another said, she was blond, and looked to be the one who sucked up to the ringleader

"I'm Lindsey" A red head told him, she looked to be smart, but easily swayed.

"I'm Haley" She had light brown hair. She looked to be unaware of the whole situation.

Troy looked around and noticed that the living room window was hugely cracked, nearly smashed, he noticed the brick beside it

"Did you do that?" Troy asked

"It was like that when we got here" Megan said 'innocently'

"Really, because I was here earlier, and it wasn't like that" Troy said coldly

"Are you accusing us-" Lindsey began

"Yes I am"

"You have no proof" Stacey said

"Yeah, please, I have 2 people in this house, a smashed window, and 2 people from my house who have seen all of you" Troy said.

"Oh really, and what are you going to do about it?" Megan asked

"Well, either you get off this property, or I will call the police" Troy threatened.

"You don't have the guts" Stacey sneered

"Don't I?" He challenged

They stared for a long time, daring one another, to challenge each other.

"Fine, we'll go, but we will be back" Stacey warned

"And when you are, I'll be back too" Troy told them

"Come on girls, let's go" Stacey said, they all followed, into her car, and down the road.

Tami came through the front door and looked at Troy. He nodded telling her everything was alright, and signalled that he would be going to check on Gabriella.

Tami nodded in understanding, and went back inside.

Troy walked up to the front door, and found the spare key, and opened the door

"Hello?" Troy whispered, fearing they may have slept through the whole thing

"Troy?" He heard Gabriella's voice call from upstairs.

Troy ran upstairs, to find both of them, in her mum's room, with a bat, for self-defence, if needed.

Once Gabriella saw Troy she immediately ran into his arms.

"Hey, don't worry, every thing's going to be okay, it's going to be fine" He whispered this until she had calmed down, she wasn't crying, she was just scared.

"Thank you, so much, Troy" both Gabriella and her mum thanked him.

"No problem, who were they here anyway?" He asked

"I'm going to make something to drink, would you like something?" Ava asked them.

"Yes please" they both answered.

"So?" Troy asked softly

"Okay, you know how I've moved around a lot?"

Troy nodded

"Well, those girls, used to live in London, so did I, and they" She stopped for a second. Troy looked at her. "They were horrible, they always used to bully me every chance they got, they used to follow me home, they made my life there a living hell" Gabriella admitted.

"Is this why you came with us to open the door?" Troy asked her

She nodded, Troy immediately pulled her into a hug.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Troy asked

"Because, East High and West High had just become friends, I didn't want to mess that up" Gabriella told him, honestly

"Hey, you are always the most important, out of everything and everyone, and it's only a few girls, not the whole school, don't worry, everything will get sorted" Troy assured her

"Thank you, but they'll be back, they always are" She cried silently

"Well next time they come back, we'll call the police, and they won't come near you, I'll always be here for you"

"Thank you" she whispered calming down.

Ava heard the whole thing outside the door; she had made the drinks, but didn't want to interrupt the moment between them.

She quietly opened the door.

"Hey, drinks are made"

"Thanks Ava"

"Thanks mum"

"You're welcome, so, is everything okay?"

"Yeah mum, every things fine, now, thanks"

"Yeah, well I guess I should get going, I don't want to keep you up" Troy got up to leave

"Oh, no Troy, really, you can stay, you've just helped us, really" Ava said

"No, really it's fine, it's my sister's birthday tomorrow, and I don't think she'd be too happy if I slept the whole day "They laughed" You guys are coming tomorrow, right?" Troy asked

"Oh, well, we don't want to intrude or anything-"

"Really, its fine, come by around, 1" Troy told them

"Only if you're sure" Gabriella made sure

"Definitely, I'll see you both tomorrow"

"Bye Troy" Ava said

"I'll walk you out" Gabriella said getting off the bed.

They walked down the stairs to the front door

"So, thanks Troy, for everything" Gabriella thanked.

"No problem, I'm not going to let some girls terrify you and destroy your house" Troy shook his head

Gabriella smiled

"Well, still, thank you"

"You're welcome"

"Night" Gabriella said

They kissed goodnight

"Sweet dreams"

_[Edited A/N]:_

_So I prefer this as two chapters :)_

_Hopefully you all do too :)_


	30. Dads Back

Troyella

_[Disclaimer: I Do Not Own – Simple]_

**Chapter 30: Dads Back [Edited]**

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Coming" Ava called from upstairs

_DING DING _

"I'm coming" she called again, more urgently, rushing down the stairs

KNOCK KNOCK-

The door swung open

"Can I help you with something?" Ava asked, not looking at who it was.

"Well, I'm looking for the house my wife and daughter are currently staying in, you wouldn't happen to be able to help me, would you?"

"James?" she asked, disbelievingly.

He chuckled "Yes, Ava, it's me"

"Oh my gosh" she said, in shock.

"So, are you going to invite me in, or am I going to have to stand out here all day?" he asked, jokingly.

"Um, yeah, sorry, come on, where's Maria?" she asked leading him into the kitchen.

"She still had school" James explained where's my other daughter then? Not asleep after that?" James asked

Ava laughed "No, actually she's sleeping round next doors, the Bolton's" she explained

"Oh, so she's made some friends, that's nice. So, what's her name, the girls' house she's sleeping at?" James asked

"Well, yesterday, it was Tami's birthday, so we went, and she and some of her friends decided to stay the night"

"The Bolton's don't mind? It was a last minute thing"

"They're lovely people, and they love Gabriella" Ava said nervously. James picked up on this.

"Ava, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Well, don't get mad, OK"

He looked at her "That depends"

Ava sighed "OK, it was Tami's birthday, but Troy invited her, invited us, us meaning me and Gabriella" Ava told him

"And who's Troy?"

"Troy is Tami's brother, he's in Gabriella's year, and they go to the same school."

"Is that it?"

"Troy is, also, Gabriella's boyfriend" she said, shutting her eyes, waiting for his reaction

_"WHAT?"_

"James-"

"Don't, 'James' me, she's too young to be dating" he fumed

"She's 17 years old" Ava fought for her daughter.

"How did they meet? Huh?"

"They met New Years, we were all at the same lodge and Gabriella and Troy both got picked for karaoke, and then, somehow, they both ended up at the same school and neighbours" She told him

"Yeah right, do you really expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth, are you calling me a liar?"

"No, I'm not, but, I don't even know this guy, how do you know what he's really like?" James asked her.

"James, when we moved in, he made us feel welcome, he made Gabriella feel welcome, and his family are one of the nicest families you will ever meet, Troy and Tami are brother and sister, but they never argue, they all get along, and Gabriella loves Troy" she explained calmly

James snorted. "She's 16; she doesn't even know what love is"

"17" Ava corrected "And Gabriella is very mature for her age, she uses her brain, and she's intelligent, now, it's time her heart takes control for a while"

"Oh, and let her grades slip? I bet this guy is all wrong for her, tell me about him, everything you know about Troy Bolton" he sneered at the name.

"OK, his name is Troy Alexander Bolton, he loves his family, he is captain of the basketball team at East High, his father is the coach, his friends mean everything to him, his a sweet boy, he's intelligent, he's an excellent performer, and brings out the performing side of Gabriella out, he tries his hardest to make everyone happy, you know those girls who used to bully Gabriella, they're here, and they tried to throw a brick through the window, and Troy got them out, and came up to make sure we were alright, and most of all, he loves Gabriella, and wouldn't let anything bad happen to her"

There was a few minutes silence after Ava's description of Troy.

"I still think she's too young, this could be a huge mistake, I'd always imagined, that when the time came for her to have a boyfriend, her first boyfriend, then I would pick him, and he would be perfect for her, and they would get married." James sighed

"She doesn't need you for that, anything else, but that, you can't choose who you fall for, and she'll make her own mistakes, but she would never, in a million years, view Troy as a mistake, and I don't think he is a mistake, I think they are happy together, and will be for a very long time"

"OK, I'll give him a chance"

"Good"

"So, when's she coming back?" James asked

"We could go over, I'm supposed to be going over for lunch at 1, and it's half 12." Ava said.

"OK, I'll go and get changed out of these clothes" James was just about to walk upstairs when Ava called his name

"Yeah?" he asked

"How long are you staying for this time?"

"2 weeks" he answered

She nodded, hiding the pain he would only be with them for a little while, but long enough to stay over for Christmas, and New Year.

She wasn't looking forward to telling him they would be spending Christmas with the Bolton's, or the fact that they would be going to the Ski Lodge with them.

James was all about tradition, and every Christmas, and New Year; they would spend it together, as a family, when he was there. He'd expect it to be the same.

_'Well, he's got another thing coming'_ Ava thought firmly.

1pm at the Bolton's

_DING DONG_

"Hey, come on in, who's this?" Lucille asked

"Lucille, Jack, this is my husband, James. James, Lucille and Jack, Tami and Troy's parents" she said, in a friendly warning tone.

"Hello, nice to meet you" he said, shaking their hands.

"Likewise, come on in, Gabriella is in the dining room with Troy and Tami, the others went home in the morning" Jack told them, the last bit mainly directed at they went in, Troy, Gabriella and Tami were all sat down at the table. Tami and Gabriella on either side of Troy, all laughing about something.

They looked up and saw Lucille, Jack, Ava and

"Dad" she said, in shock

"Hey, I'm back" he said, holding out his arms

Gabriella got up and walked over to him to hug him, Troy and Tami didn't miss the glare he shot at Troy when she did; they looked at each other, confused.

"So, how long are you staying for?" Gabriella asked

"2 weeks" he told her.

"Oh, OK" she said sadly.

"Yeah, but I'll be back before you know it" he tried to cheer her up.

She faked a smile, which was enough to have her dad believe she was happier now.

"Tami, Troy, this is James, my husband, Gabriella's father" Ava introduced.

"Nice to meet you" James said, sticking out his hand.

"Nice to meet you too" Troy said, shaking his hand, little bit nervous, considering the death glare he gave him.

Tami shook his hand afterwards.

"So, everyone, sit down" Lucille told them

"I'll just go and get an extra seat" Jack told them.

Gabriella went back and took her place, next to Troy, which James wasn't happy about.

"So, mum, what's for lunch?" Tami asked.

"Sunday lunch, Vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, uh, chicken-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but Gabriella and myself are vegetarians" James told her

"Since when am I a vegetarian?" Gabriella asked

"Well, it was a decision made, by me, at birth"

"But dad, I'm not a vegetarian" she told him

"Since when?"

"Since birth" she said, mockingly.

"But, eating meat is wrong, you're eating an animal, an animal that had a life, and you're telling me, you like eating something that once lived?" (By the way, I am not a vegetarian)

"Dad, I'm not going to change my lifestyle, I know where meat comes from, and sure, sometimes I feel, kind of, guilty eating animal, but, I do, and that's all there is too it" Gabriella explained

"Well, you're going to have to be a bit more convincing than that, from this moment on, you will not eat meat-"

"Excuse me-" Gabriella interrupted

"And that's that"

"Dad, I am not some robot that will be controlled, I am my own person, and I can make my own decisions about how I live my life, you do not control me, I control myself, and how dare you come in and try and control me, where have you been for the past year, you only come down at Christmas, and I've always eaten meat then, and you've never had a problem with it, what's changed? I am 17 years old; I'm not a toddler who needs their dad to tell them what to do all the time."

The room was silent

"Don't you dare talk to me like that, I am your father, and you will do as I say"

"You're my father? Really? Wow, well, I'm shocked, well, here's a question, where have you been my entire life, well apart from Christmas, why is it only Christmas you only come to see us, and even then it's only two weeks, you may be my, biological, father, but you don't even know me."

"One comment about eating meat an-"

"No, it's not just about that, every year, you point out something that is wrong with my lifestyle. Either it's my clothes or style, or it's about the way I get excited about Christmas, or about the programmes I watch, the music that I listen too, or, even, the people I hang out with." As she was saying this, all the memories of this came flooding back to her. "And I've had enough of you trying to change who I am. If you want something to change to your wishes, or manipulate, then go build something to accommodate your wishes, but, I will not do it. However, if you want a daughter, your daughter, then you will accept me for who I am and not what you want me to be"

The room was silent, and James didn't speak this time.

Gabriella looked around the room, at all the shocked faces, before running upstairs to Troys room. As soon as she did, Troy went running after her.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" James, more yelled than asked

Troy shrugged, sarcastically. "Well, I don't know, maybe to go comfort my girlfriend, your daughter, and try and cheer her up, try and get her back to the happy mood she was in, before you walked through the door, to make sure she doesn't feel like she has to change, into the things you want her to be, into the things she isn't. That's where I'm going, and if you're thinking of stopping me, don't, because nothing will stop me" he said, before turning round and going upstairs.

Everyone looked at each other

"So, where are your parents, Lucille?" Ava asked, trying to make conversation.

"Oh, they went home on yesterday" She told her

"They went home on Tami's birthday?" Ava asked, shocked

Lucille nodded "Apparently, they didn't like the BBQ" she smirked.

"Hello? How can you be so natural, after how our daughter just spoke to me?" James asked

"She had every right to speak to you the way she did" Ava retorted.

_Upstairs in Troy's room._

"I don't know what came over me, he's my dad, I shouldn't have spoken to him like that" Gabriella was now calmed down, thanks to some help from Troy.

"Hey, no offence or anything, but he deserved it, the things you said, did he really want you to change?" Troy asked

She nodded sadly.

Troy pulled her in, more tightly to him.

"I'm glad you didn't listen" he whispered

"For a while I did" she sobbed "But then I realized, I didn't want to change, that I wasn't happy with the what he wanted me to be, so I stopped, and that's when his criticism of me became harsher"

Troy shook his head, sadly.

"Don't ever change. Understand? Don't you ever change who you are" he whispered, sternly and meaningfully.

"I won't, I promise I won't" she whispered back.

Gabriella sighed "So you think I should apologize?"

"It's up to you, but if I were in your place, I wouldn't, he deserved every bit of what you gave him." Troy told her "But, like I said, it's completely up to you"

"Can we stay up here for a bit, I don't want to face him, just yet"

"Of course, whatever you want" he told her.

She smiled "Thanks"

_Downstairs _

"Where are they?" James asked "Why aren't they down here?"

"Gabriella's probably just getting herself together, with Troy's help" Tami told him

"That girl, she needs to toughen up, really, a few points about how she could improve her life, and she goes off into a temper, like a 2 year old. If she wants to follow in my footsteps, and join my company, she needs to learn not to throw her toys out of her pram when life gets tough" James sighed

The Bolton's looked at each other, but stayed silent.

Troy and Gabriella were at the top of the stairs, they were about to go down but Gabriella stopped him when she realized they were talking about her.

"And what makes you think she wants to join the business?" Ava asked

"It's been planned since the day she was born" he told her

"You can't plan everything for her, she has to live her own life, and that life, doesn't involve you making decisions every step of the way"

"She needs guidance, I mean, seriously, dating at 17, she's too young, and singing? Acting? It was supposed to be all about the grade"

"Schools tough, she needs something to take her mind off, and this does just that, and she enjoys it" Ava told him

"You've been too soft on her, if I were there, I would have turned her into something great"

Troy thought they should go back into his room, but Gabriella didn't want to, she wanted the truth.

"But you weren't there, were you? You were off somewhere, working, which is all you ever do, and then you get transferred and have to move, and I tell Gabriella that it's because of me we move all the time, so she has one less reason to be so angry at you" Ava fumed "And it's a good thing you haven't been there, actually. Because I love our daughter just the way she is, and I think that I've done a fantastic job raising her, considering it's been like I'm a single parent for over half the year"

"Please, I see her, often" James threw back.

"No, you come down at Christmas, and I choose the presents you get her, and you don't even pay me back for them, you never send birthday cards, I do that too, and put £10 in there from you, just so she knows you remember."

"Well, why do you do all of that, then? If you hate it so much, stop" he shrugged

"I can't, because she's so happy when she realizes that you haven't forgotten and that you have time for her, even if it's just to write a single card"

"Aren't you grateful for, any of it?" Tami asked

"This is none of your business" James pointed a finger too her.

Troy stiffened at this while Gabriella leaned into him, hoping he'd calm down.

"Actually, Gabriella is my friend, and she is my brother's girlfriend, and when Gabriella's happy, Troy's happy, when she's sad, Troy's sad, and I don't want my brother being sad, because that makes me sad, and I don't like me or him, or Gabriella, being sad, so yes it does involve me."

"How touching, but she is my daughter, and she will do as I tell her"

"Actually, James" James looked at his wife "Gabriella would be more inclined to do what Jack says, more than you"

Troy turned to Gabriella, wondering if it was true. Gabriella shrugged and nodded confirmation.

"What?" he asked, confused, bewildered, and downright shocked.

"Well, since we've been here, Jack has been more like a father figure to Gabriella, more than you have ever been to her"

There was another silence, and James stormed out of the house.

"I am so sorry about him" Ava apologized

"Oh, don't apologize for him, it's not your fault" Lucille told her.

"What Gabriella said was true, though. He always did want to change her, I just didn't see it until today" she said sadly.

"I'm sorry for getting involved, it wasn't any of my business" Tami apologized to Ava

"Don't worry Tami, you care about your brother, I was actually expecting it" she winked.

Tami smiled.

Troy and Gabriella walked downstairs once again, knowing James wasn't there.

"Hey, are you OK?" Ava hugged her daughter

"Did you really do that? Give me presents and cards from him?" she asked.

Ava sighed "I'm sorry"

"Don't apologize, Dads the one that needs to apologize" Gabriella shook her head "Thank you, for doing all that for me."

"Gabriella, you're my daughter and I love you. There isn't a thing I wouldn't do for you"

Gabriella smiled and walked over to hug her mum.

"Lucille, Jack, I'm so sorry for ruining lunch" Gabriella apologized

"Gabriella, please, it's not your fault, you were defending yourself, besides, if you hadn't, I'm sure Troy would have somehow" Lucille smiled

Gabriella giggled, shyly at Troys offended look. Then she sighed "Mum, I know this sounds stupid, but I really don't want to go home and face dad, just yet"

"Who said you were going anywhere?" Troy asked

"Well, we've caused so much chaos and drama and everything, we don't want to intrude any further" Ava spoke her daughters thoughts.

"Nonsense, it's no problem, really, you don't have to go anywhere." Lucille assured them

"Are you sure?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course we're sure, I am not going to make you go anywhere, especially if the place you're heading, is a place you don't want to go" Troy told her, reassuringly putting an arm around her

"Thank you" she almost whispered.

"Well, because lunch didn't go as planned, why don't you stay for dinner" Jack suggested

"Only if you're sure?" Ava asked

"You guys are as bad as each other" Tami laughed "Of course we're sure, otherwise we wouldn't have asked" she smiled

They all laughed

"OK, OK, but I'm helping" Ava exclaimed

"Alright then" Lucille agreed

"Me, Gabriella and Tami will be upstairs" Troy told them

"OK" the adults acknowledged, heading off to the kitchen.

"Come on then" Troy said, chasing them upstairs

They ran into Troy's room, squealing, trying to avoid him catching them.

"NO!" They squirmed and laughed, trying to get out of his grasp.

Troy was in fits of laughter.

"OK, OK, put us down" Tami demanded

"Hmm..." Troy said, still holding them, pretending to think about it

"Troy!" Gabriella yelled

"Yeah?" He asked, innocently

Gabriella groaned "Please put us down?" she asked, pleadingly..

Troy looked at her, evilly, before he got distracted.

"What is it?" she asked, noticing he was distracted.

He nodded towards the window. Troy put them down; they looked through the window to see James, glaring at them, mainly Troy.

Gabriella sighed "He's going to be a pain for the next two weeks." she suddenly thought "Does it make me a bad person I just said that, even though he's my father?" she asked, no one in particular

"Does it make me a bad person that I agree, even though he's my girlfriends' father?" Troy retorted

"I don't have much to do with him, and I dislike him anyway" Tami said

They laughed a bit, until they noticed James was still glaring.

Troy sighed and walked over to the window, and shut the blinds.

"There, much better, don't you think?" Troy asked, sarcastically.

"I think so" Gabriella agreed, smiling

"Same here" Tami called out, looking through Troy's music.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Troy asked, sitting on the bed.

"Don't mind, Tami?"

"What, you think I'm going through Troy's music because it amuses me?" she asked.

Troy chuckled "I guess we're listening to music"

"Oh, what about this one?" she pulled one out, it was the music they used for the musical

"You don't want to listen to that, do you Tami?" Troy asked

"Yes" she said, in an obvious manner, and put it in the CD player

As they were talking, Troy and Gabriella randomly started singing their parts.

"Troy, Tami, Gabriella, dinners ready" Jack called

"OK" they acknowledged

"Come on then" Troy said, turning off the music.

"So, what's going on tonight? Is Gabriella staying?" Tami asked

"Why would I be staying? Not that I don't want to, but, why do you think I am?" Gabriella asked, confused

"Because, your dad..." Tami said

"Oh, yeah" she said with worry and disgust.

"You know you can stay if you want to" Troy told her

She smiled "Thanks, but my stuff..." she started

"I'm sure your mum can get your stuff for you" Tami told her

"Yeah" Gabriella smiled "But its Christmas tomorrow" she suddenly remembered

"So?" Troy shrugged

"So, I know we're coming over tomorrow anyway, but don't you want time together, as a family?" Gabriella asked, worriedly.

Tami hit Gabriella, playfully, yet meaning behind it.

"Hey!" Gabriella shrieked, shocked at the action

"Gabriella, you're like my sister, OK, spending Christmas day without you would be like spending it without family" Tami told her, smiling, knowing she won.

Troy smiled.

"Really?" she asked, still rubbing her arm

"Really, now, let's go down for dinner, because I'm hungry" and with that, Tami took off downstairs.

_During dinner._

"Are you sure?" Ava asked I'm sure Gabriella doesn't want to intrude, especially since tomorrow is Christmas."

"Tried that, didn't work" Tami dismissed the excuse, smiling.

"Well, if it's OK with you guys" Ava asked Jack and Lucille

"Of course, it's fine" Lucille told her

"Well, OK then, why not" Ava smiled

"Um, can you get my stuff?" Gabriella asked

"Sure" Ava agreed.

_Later, upstairs in Troy's room._

"I'm so excited for Christmas" Tami squealed

"You're exited for presents" Troy corrected.

Tami glared playfully, and threw a pillow in his direction, which he dodged.

He turned to look at the pillow, and then turned to look at Tami, with the expression, that she was going to pay.

"Well, look at the time, I really must be going" and before Troy could move a muscle, she was out of the door, in her room, with the door locked.

Troy shrugged "She'll have to come out at some point" Troy said, and sat down next to Gabriella.

She giggled.

"So, are you exited about Christmas?" Troy asked

"Of course!" Gabriella exclaimed

Troy chuckled "Me too" he said, laying down, Gabriella laid down too.

"It really doesn't feel that long since we've been together" Gabriella said, randomly

"I know, in 8 days, it will be a year since we've known each other you know" he said, looking at her.

"Yeah, it's freaky, but a good kind of freaky" she laughed

"I'm glad I went on that trip, I was about to stay home, be with the rest of the gang for New Years, it's was only because Tami convinced me to go that I did"

"I'm glad she did, I'm glad you two are so close, or you may not have listened"

"Everything happens for a reason" Troy said

"Yeah, and what do you think the reason is that you and Tami are so close?" she asked

"Well, because we're so close, we look out for each other, and have gotten each other out of some really bad jams, and stuff like that, also, like you said, if me and Tami weren't so close, who knows whether I would have gone on that trip" Troy said "But, even still, I'm glad me and Tami have such a good relationship with each other"

Gabriella smiled "Yeah, must be nice"

They stayed like that, talking, and just being with each other, for the rest of the night.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Gabriella's father strikes me as the type to be a jerk when it comes to his daughters, perfectionist etc._

_Edited version, done._

_Hope you like it :)_


	31. Arriving at the Hotel

Troyella

**Chapter 31: Arriving at the Hotel [Edited]**

"I can't believe we're back here" Gabriella said, in awe.

"I know, amazing, huh?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded, happily.

"Come on, let's go check in" Tami said, excitedly.

_With the Ava and James_

"Ava, why are we here? We should be spending New Years as a family, not with a bunch of strangers" James asked, angrily

"They're not a bunch of strangers, they're friends" Ava whispered, harshly.

"I don't know them, which makes them strangers"

"Not everything is about you, James" And with that, she walked off.

_With Lucille and Jack_

"I have a feeling James has a problem with us" Lucille observed

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, really. We're all here, and it's not like we're going to avoid each other, so James will just have to get used to it" Jack said.

"Yeah, I think he'll cause some trouble though"

"Don't worry, he wouldn't, and if he does, then he doesn't know what he's getting himself into."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Because Ava and Gabriella mean too much too him, but he won't go down without a fight"

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of"

Rooms

"Would you like rooms next to each other?" The perky receptionist asked.

"Yes please" Jack answered

"And, is it adults in one room, and children in another?" She asked.

Troy, Gabriella and Tami didn't like being called children, but they let it slide

"Actually, that's not a bad idea" Lucille said

"Yeah, what do you guys think?" Ava asked them.

"Yeah, I'm up for it" Troy said

"Same here, Gabriella?"

"Sure" she said, enthusiastically.

"Um, Ava, can I talk to you for a second?" James pulled Ava away

"What, what is it?" Ava asked

"The kids, sharing a room, are you kidding?" he asked, hysterically.

"OK they're teenagers-"

"Even worse!"

"They're responsible teenagers; don't you trust your daughter?" She asked him

"Of course I do, it's _him_ I don't trust" he said, sneering.

"Well _he_ loves your daughter and _you_ are going to have to start trusting him, otherwise you'll _lose_ your daughter" she threatened

"Gabriella wouldn't choose a boyfriend over her family"

"With the way you've been acting, don't count on it"

"Well, from what you've said, _he_ won't let that happen" James smirked

"But he knows that it's her life, and he only wants her to be happy"

"They are NOT sharing a room" he said, firmly.

"It's not your decision, it's a democracy, and the democracy says that they will, and we will share with Jack and Lucille"

"I don't like it"

"You don't have to like it, just deal with it" she, again, walked off.

"Troy, Gabriella and Tami are sharing, and the adults are sharing" Ava told them

"OK, excellent, here are your room keys, have a nice stay"

"Thanks" they all replied

_In Troy, Gabriella and Tami's room_

"Hey, Gabriella, why was your dad so against you sharing a room?" Tami asked

"I have no idea, I don't know what's going on with him, he's beginning to annoy me, and you know he'll be coming in to check up on us, right?"

"Yeah, I was wondering when you were going to say that" Troy sighed.

"You know him well already" Gabriella said, with mock surprise

He laughed "Don't worry about your dad, let's just enjoy New Year" Troy said

Gabriella nodded in agreement.

Troy pulled her into a comforting hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Come on, let's unpack" Troy suggested

"How many bedrooms are there?" Tami asked

"Um, I think there are two" Gabriella answered

"Well, looks like people are going to have to share" Tami said.

"Well, either me or Tami can, or you and Gabriella can"

Gabriella looked at him, confused

"Well, I don't mind sharing with you, obviously, but you said your dad would be checking up, I'm not sure he'd be too fond of the idea"

Gabriella sighed "Yeah, I guess your right"

"So, who's sharing with whom?"

"Depends, who doesn't mind being alone?" Troy asked.

"I don't mind" Gabriella answered.

"Me either" Troy said "So if the girls want to share..." he said

"I don't mind, Gabriella?"

"Sure" Gabriella said, happily.

"OK, now we can unpack" Troy said

After 20 minutes

"You girls done yet?" Troy asked, walking in the room

"Uh, yeah, I think I'm done" Gabriella said, satisfied

"Same here"

"Cool, so, you want to go look round the hotel?" he asked

"Should we tell our parents?" Tami asked

"Yeah" Troy agreed "Come on"

_Parents room_

_Knock Knock_

"Come in" they heard the subdued voice of Lucille from inside the room

They walked in.

"Hey, how are things going in here, then?"

"Well, it's going pretty good, how about over there?" Jack asked

"Yeah, we've unpacked, which is more than I can say for you" Troy said, looking at the full suitcases

"You've unpacked already?" Ava asked

"Yeah, why?" Gabriella asked

"We're still deciding on rooms"

Troy, Gabriella and Tami laughed

"So, what are the room decisions on your room?" Lucille asked.

James looked up from what he was doing, to listen to this.

"I'm on my own, Gabriella and Tami are sharing" Troy told them

"Very _sensible_ and _responsible_" Ava said, smiling triumphantly

"Thank you" Troy said "We're going to take a walk around the hotel" he told them.

"OK, but be back before 5 so we can get ready to go out"

"OK, bye mum, dad, bye Ava, James" Troy said

"Bye, don't get into too much trouble" Jack joked

They laughed "We won't" they called, walking out the door

_Around the Hotel_

"Well, there is definitely a lot to do here" Troy said, amazed. There was a tennis court, Ski-slopes, entertainment room, arcade, indoor swimming pool, 3 restaurants, a gym, basketball hall, performing arts room, where the New Years party for teenagers is held, art room, football/soccer pitch, teenagers room, where they had all teenage games, children's room with all baby-12 toys, adults centre, just relaxation away from their kids or any other form of stress. There was also an ice-skating rink, and even after all this, there was still enough room for a staffroom.

"Yeah, I swear they've added more too it since New Year" Tami said.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Gabriella asked

"Well, I'll spare you two some boredom and say that we don't have to go to the basketball hall" Troy told them

"Oh thank the heavens for this act of mercy"

Troy and Gabriella burst out laughing, not only at Tami's outburst but also, at the weird looks she got from passersby.

"Let's just go to the teenager's room and see what's there" Gabriella suggested.

"Sounds good to me, Tami?"

"Sure, why not"

_Teenagers Room_

"Welcome to the teenagers room, where there's all the fun in one room for people just your age, now if you'll follow me, I'll show you where the fun begins" an woman said, with a wide smile, and a high pitched voice.

"We're just going to look around" Troy said, a little scared by the overly happy woman.

"Oh nonsense, you won't find a better room to go in, we have everything here, look at how much fun everyone's having" She said, pointing inside the room.

Troy, Gabriella and Tami looked, the place was deserted.

"Yeah, we just want to get to know the place before we do anything, thanks anyway" Troy tried to turn away again, but, again, was hit with failure.

"No, no, no, you won't find anything better, come and see for yourself" The happiness looked even more forced than before, maybe even desperate. It just made them want to get out of their faster.

"If you come in and play a few games, you can leave straight away"

The three of them looked at each other, and decided that if it got them out of them quicker, they would endure the torture of happy, bouncy woman.

"OK, so what can we do in here?" Tami asked.

The woman said enthusiastically "Oh well there's snooker, air hockey, car racing games-" as soon as she said that, Tami was in the seat, and ready to drive

Troy laughed at his sister.

"So, what do you two want to play?" The woman asked, happily.

"I'm sure we can find something to do, thank you...umm, what's your name?" Troy asked.

"Julie" She replied simply, but still kept the smile on her face.

"Well, Julie, it was nice meeting you" Troy said, politely.

"Nice meeting you three as well" she said, and walked off.

"Am I the only one who was really freaked out by that?" Troy asked.

"No" Gabriella said, shaking her head "You're not the only one"

"Yeah, she was freaky!" Tami said, not looking away from the screen.

Troy shook his head. "So, what would you like to do?"

"Air Hockey?" Gabriella suggested

"OK, come on then" Troy said, walking over to it.

_Half way through_

"Are you cheating or something?" Gabriella asked, jokingly.

"What? No, how can I cheat, it's impossible" Troy laughed.

"Then how is it that I'm on 1 and you're on 4" Gabriella asked.

"Maybe you're just not that good at air hockey" Troy said, teasing her.

Gabriella gaped.

Troy smiled.

Gabriella decided to forget about the game and chase Troy until he apologized

"You know I'm faster than you, right?" Troy said, running backwards to face her while talking.

"I don't-" she took a swipe to grab hold of him, but he dodged it "care" she sighed, stopping her chase.

"Given up?" Troy asked.

Gabriella glared playfully "You know, it's not fair, you insult my ability to play, and you get away with it"

"Yes, but you love me anyway" Troy said, kissing her

Gabriella smiled and giggled a bit.

"Smooth Troy" Tami laughed

"Come on, it's nearly 5, we should head back to the room" Troy said.

_In the Room_

_Knock knock_

Troy opened the door, to see his dad.

"Hey dad, what's up?"

"Hey, I just stopped by to see whether you were here, and amazingly, you are. Anyway, make sure to be ready by 6, is that OK?" Jack asked.

"Yeah that should be fine, let me ask Gabriella and Tami"

Troy went to the girl's room.

"Hey, dad said he wants us ready by 6, is that going to be OK?" Troy asked

"Yeah, should be fine" Gabriella answered

"Yeah sure"

"Awesome"

"So, what did they say?" Jack asked

"They said its fine"

"OK, that's good." Jack said

"Dad, are you OK?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine, uh, you're mum told me to remind you about the New Years party, the one you went to last year, but we're all going out to dinner first"

"Then, why not remind us then?" Troy asked.

"I don't know, you know your mother"

"OK, don't you need to be getting ready too?" Troy asked.

"Don't remind me, there's so much tension in that room, it's unbelievable"

"Ah, well dad, if you want me ready by 6, then I'm going to have to go" Troy said, guiltily.

"Yeah, I know, don't worry about it, I'm sure everything will work out" Jack smiled.

"Yeah, hopefully" Troy said, trying to remain optimistic "I'll see you at 6"

"6 o'clock don't be late" Jack warned.

"Are we meeting in your room?" Troy asked

"Yeah" Jack called, walking off.

_6o'clock _

_Knock knock_

"Come in"

"Hey, we're ready, what about you guys?" Tami asked

"Um, just about, I still need to find my...I think it's in the suitcase" Lucille said, walking off to her room.

"So, you said for us to make sure we're ready by 6o'clock and we are however, you're not" Troy smirked.

"Alright, alright, but we have 4 adults in here" Jack said.

"Yes, and we have 3 teenagers, which is like 6 adults if you think about it" Gabriella said.

"Exactly" Troy smiled

"Lucille, are you ready?" Jack asked

"Nearly" she called from the bedroom

"OK, are we all set?" Ava asked.

"Yes, I'm done" Lucille said, coming out of the bedroom

"Where's dad?" Gabriella asked

"He's at the restaurant" Ava told her

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Ok, so I'm done with this chapter, onto the next :)_

_New Years!_

_Hope you like it :)_


	32. Happy New Year!

Troyella

_**[Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical] *~These things are cruel~***_

**Chapter 32: Happy New Year [Edited]**

_At the Restaurant_

"Hello, I'm Julie and I'll be you're waitress this evening"

Troy, Tami and Gabriella groaned.

"Oh, hello, I didn't see you three there, how was your day, I didn't get to see you leave"

"Yeah, we had a great time, thanks" Troy said, trying to be polite

"Excellent, maybe I'll be seeing more of you"

"One can only hope" Tami managed to say, gritted through her teeth.

"So, are you all ready to order?"

"We are" Troy said, answering for Gabriella, Tami and himself.

"Okay, yes we're ready to order" Jack told Julie.

"Great. What would you like?"

Jack looked at the three expectantly.

"I'll have Spaghetti Bolognaise" Troy told him

"Same here" Gabriella and Tami spoke.

After the adults ordered their food they got to talking.

"The year has just gone so quick" Ava said, amazed

"Yeah, it really has, it just seems like a few days ago me and Gabriella met" Troy said, smiling at her.

"And we moved next door to Troy" Gabriella said.

"Well, I have to say, between Gabriella and Troy getting together, and the musical." James' eyes widened at the idea of his daughter being in a musical, but decided to speak to Ava about it later "It's been an enjoyable year overall, and let's hope next year can be just as good" Lucille said.

"Yes, and we have the concert to look forward to" Jack reminded them

"We should really get on with that, it's been ages since we decided to do it"

"Why did you decide to do it?" Tami asked.

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other "Long story" they answered, definitely _not_ wanting to get into that and most definitely _not_ with Gabriella's dad there.

_After Dinner_

"So, when it strikes midnight, come and find us, okay?" Lucille reminded them

"Don't worry, mum, we won't forget to come find you" Troy said, restraining rolling his eyes.

"Good, I would like to see my children for New Years"

"We know" Tami and Troy said together.

"Well, have fun!"

"Come on Lucille, leave them be" Jack said, dragging his wife away.

"Bye" The three of them called to their parents.

"I'm going to get a drink, do you guys want anything?" Tami asked

"No thanks, Tami" Troy answered.

Gabriella nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll be right back"

Tami walked off to the drinks.

Once she was out of sight Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Troy asked, whispering in her ear

Gabriella blushed "Once or twice" she answered. Troy had told her in their hotel room, the elevator, and in the restaurant.

"Well that's not often enough"

"Yes it is, and thank you"

Troy smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Well, well, look what we have here...weren't you two here last year?" the guy on the stage asked, the light went to Troy and Gabriella, the music suddenly stopped, and the room was silent waiting for an answer

"Uh, yeah we were" Troy answered

Tami, who was still over by the drinks, was having trouble containing her laughter looking at her brother being put on the spot like this.

"Well, it seems you two have met up again"

"Actually they're together" People started looking around for the voice who said that, Troy and Gabriella knew it was Tami, and both swore, in their heads, that she would pay.

"Really?" He asked, surprised. "Well, last year the song you sang was amazing, who was here last year? Anybody?" he asked, looking around.

"I was!" A girl called, she was standing right next to the stage

"Did you see them last year?" he asked

"Yeah, they were so good, you _have_ to do another song this year!" the girl said, as if it would be a crime if they didn't.

"What do you say? Up for another Karaoke sing-a-long?"

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other as if to say _'What do you want to do?"_

"Yeah, I think they do" he smiled.

Troy and Gabriella, again, were forced on to the stage.

"Do you want the same song as last year?" he asked

"Let's try a different song" Troy suggested.

"Alright, let's give it up for...what are your names?" he asked.

"Troy, Troy Bolton, and this is Gabriella Montez"

"Hi" Gabriella greeted

"Hey, I'm Kevin" he introduced himself. "Let's give it up for Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, everyone" he yelled into the microphone.

Tami got out her video camera and started recording them.

_Troy:_

_My love,  
There's only you in my life  
The only thing that's bright_

_Gabriella:_

_My first love,  
You're every breath that I take  
You're every step I make_

_Both:_

_And I  
(I-I-I-I-I)  
I want to share  
All my love with you  
No one else will do..._

_And your eyes  
Your eyes, your eyes  
They tell me how much you care  
Ooh yes, you will always be  
My endless love_

_Two hearts,  
Two hearts that beat as one  
Our lives have just begun_

_Forever  
(ohhhhhh)  
Ill hold you close in my arms  
I cant resist your charms_

_And love  
Oh, love  
Ill be a fool  
For you,  
I'm sure  
You know I don't mind  
Oh, you know I don't mind_

_cause you,  
You mean the world to me  
Oh  
I know  
I know  
I've found in you  
My endless love_

_Oooh-woow  
Boom, boom  
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom  
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom_

_Oooh, and love  
Oh, love  
Ill be that fool  
For you,  
I'm sure  
You know I don't mind  
Oh you know-  
I don't mind_

_And, yes  
You'll be the only one  
cause no one can deny  
This love I have inside  
And Ill give it all to you  
My love  
My love, my love  
My endless love_

(Song by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross or Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross – Endless Love)

When they finished they were standing so close that there was barely any space between them.

When Troy and Gabriella stopped singing everything was silent, and then everyone in the room started cheering. There was so much emotion put into the song, that it could have warmed even the coldest of hearts.

Troy and Gabriella put their microphones back on the stands and Troy hugged Gabriella.

"I meant every word" he whispered in her ear

"Me too Troy, me too" she whispered back.

_**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_

Once the countdown was done, and everyone wished everyone a Happy New Year, Troy, Tami and Gabriella went off to find their parents.

"Guys, that song that you sang" Tami started, Troy and Gabriella stopped to look at her "It was really beautiful" she finished.

"Thanks Tami" Troy said, genuinely

"Troy, Tami, Gabriella, I see you made it half way" Lucille smiled

"Hey mum, Happy New Years" Troy laughed, and hugged his mum.

Gabriella and Tami did the same, for both their parents and the others.

"So, did you have fun?" Jack asked.

"Yeah we did" Gabriella smiled, thinking back.

"Well that's wonderful; did you get up and sing?" Ava asked eager to find out.

"Mum they pick people to go up, and yes we did" she hurried the last part.

"What did you sing?" Lucille asked, ignoring the fact that both Troy and Gabriella were shy about it.

"They sang a song called 'Endless Love'" Tami answered for them

"Oh, that's such a nice song, I wish I could have been there" Ava said.

"I videoed it" Tami smiled.

"Really?" three of the adults asked, but their voices drowned out by Troy and Gabriella asking the exact same thing, but with a very different emotion to the rest of them.

"Yeah, we can watch it when we go back up to the hotel room" Tami told them.

"Well then let's go!" Lucille said.

Ava and Lucille were on their way to the hotel, they would have run, however, because they were in high heels, they decided against it.

"Well, this should be fun" Gabriella mumbled.

"Ah well, let's keep them happy"

"You know they'll be reminding us of it every day?"

"Knowing that it was with you, being reminded won't be such a bad thing"

Gabriella smiled, unable to think of a response.

"Happy New Year, Gabriella"

"Happy New Year, Troy, I love you" she told him, with as much emotion as she put into the song.

"I love you too" he told her, with just as much emotion put into the three most powerful words.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_HAPPY NEW YEARS!_

_... Well nearly :)_

_Hope you like it :)_


	33. The Ultimate Snowball Fight Games

Troyella

_[Disclaimer: Nothing is mine in this story..apart from Tami..Tami is my minion who makes sure that everyone is behaving and not changing the story line..she's a good little minion]_

**Chapter 33: The Ultimate Snowball Fight Games [Edited]**

Troy woke up unenthusiastic to start the day. They would have to go back to school, after such a great Christmas holiday. The only thing he was happy about was seeing Gabriella and all of his friends.

Troy stretched and walked to his window. As he got closer he realized that it was getting colder with each step. This got him confused. When he opened the curtains he was met with a blinding white that covered everything in his sight.

He saw Gabriella on her balcony, and decided to go out on his.

"Hey" he called over to her, making her jump.

"Hey" she said, a bit breathlessly, not expecting anyone to call her.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" he asked, knowing he did, but asked anyway.

"Yeah, just a bit though" she told him.

"Sorry" he apologized.

"Don't worry about it, I listened out on the radio, we don't have a day off" she told him, knowing he'd want one.

"Really? That's unusual, hold on a second" he told her, and went back in his room loading his computer.

He went on the school website, and it said they would have the day off.

"Look on the school website" he told her, once he went back outside.

It was Gabriella's turn to go back inside and load her computer. Once she did, she went on the school website, and it said, the school was closed.

"YES!"

Troy heard her yell from her room.

He couldn't contain his laughter when he heard it, when she heard him laughing, she knew he had heard her, and she didn't really care, she was so happy she'd have a day off school.

"So" he called from outside, once his laughter had calmed down a bit.

She went outside to speak to him properly.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked.

"I don't mind, what do you want to do?"

"Well, do you want to get the others over, and then decide?" Troy asked.

"Yeah sure, I'll phone the girls, you phone the guys"

"OK, come over in about 20 minutes is that OK?" he asked

"Yeah that should be fine" Gabriella agreed.

Troy got his phone and started typing deciding to send a group message.

_Hey, _

_Just in case you don't know, school is cancelled because of the snow.._

_(Yes Chad, it's snowing, go check outside your window.._

_See!) Now, come over to mine in about 20 minutes, Gabriella is texting the girls._

_Yes Chad, we will go out in the snow at some point,_

_And no Zeke it won't be all day,_

_Jason, we don't know what we're doing, just come over.._

_Ryan, don't listen to Sharpay, be here in 20 minutes, it's not good to be 'fashionably late'_

_See you all in 20 minutes._

_Troy._

_Chad's house._

Chad groaned when he heard his text ringtone go off. He saw it was a text from Troy.

'_This had better be good_' he thought.

He read the beginning of the text.

'_Is he being serious?" _He asked himself.

He did as Troy asked, and looked outside, and it was snowing.

"_See!"_ he read. _'OK, OK Troy, so what are we going to do?' _he thought.

He read the rest of the text and started getting ready.

_Zeke's house._

Zeke had just woken up when he got the text.

"Mum, Troy just sent me a text, it's a snow day, no school" he called from his room

"OK, what are you doing then?" She asked.

"Uh, one sec"

'_Oh thank God we're not spending all the time out in the snow...wait, how did he know I was going to be annoyed about it if we did?' _Zeke asked himself.

He read the rest of the text and told him mum that he'd be going to Troys.

"OK then, have fun" his mum said, walking out the door

_Jason's House. _

Jason had been up for a while, just didn't want to get out of bed, not looking forward to going back to school.

He read the text he got from Troy, half way through and one question was immediately brought to mind.

'_So, what are we doing?'_

He saw a part that was directed to him, and read it.

'_OK, just go over to Troys, just do that'_ Jason thought to himself, and started getting ready.

One thing they all thought on the way to Troys was

Ryan's House

Ryan had seen the snow outside, but he didn't think of the fact they might get a day off school, so he was just about to walk out the door when he got the text

'_20 minutes? We won't make it with the rate Sharpay is going at!" _Ryan thought to himself. _'Don't listen to Sharpay? Seriously, have you ever tried?'_ he screamed in his head _'Fine, 20 minutes!'_

'_How does he know us all so well?'_

_With Gabriella_

_Hey,_

_In case you don't know, today is a snow day, _

_Taylor, stop packing your school bag, and don't start taking things out and putting things in for tomorrow._

_Kelsi, don't worry, we've checked on the website, it's closed._

_Sharpay, forget beauty takes time, just do the best you can because you have..._

_20 MINUTES to be at Troys house!_

_See you then! _

_x_

_Taylor's house_

'_But I need to pack my bags for tomorrow then...maybe she won-never mind...I need to be at Troys in 20 minutes, and Gabriella will, somehow, know that I have packed...I'm already in her bad books..Ok, FINE!' _she thought _'Good luck with Sharpay though...'_

_Sharpay's house._

"WHAT?" Sharpay screamed

'_Looks like someone sent her the text' _Ryan thought, hearing his sister's voice from the car.

'_How does she expect me to be ready BY 20 minutes, is she CRAZY!'_

"RYAN!" She yelled

"Yeah?"

Sharpay looked outside her window and saw her brother stepping out of the car.

"Did you get this text? How are we supposed to be ready in 20 MINUTES?" She yelled to him.

"We're just going to have to try, sis" he said.

Sharpay grumbled '_Someone will pay for this' _

_Kelsi's house._

'_I'd better check the website, just in case it's changed, but there's a time limit, and I don't want to be late and it will take ages for my computer to load..I'll just have to pray that the school haven't changed their minds' _Kelsi thought, and went to get ready to head to Troys.

_Troys house._

_Ding Dong._

"Hey" Gabriella greeted, happily.

"Hey, did you text them?" Troy asked

"Yeah, how about you?"

"Yeah, they should be on their way"

Gabriella smiled

"So, have you had breakfast?" he asked.

"Aren't they on their way here?"

"So?" he asked, shrugging.

She giggled "And no, I haven't had breakfast.

"Well, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you should have some...Come on" he said, pushing her towards the kitchen.

_20 minutes later_

"So, what are we going to do?" Chad asked, excitedly.

"Why don't we just see where the day takes us?" Taylor asked, wondering why they needed to make a plan.

"Sounds good to me" Gabriella agreed.

"OK, so what does everyone want to do?" Troy asked.

"How about we watch a film" Kelsi suggested.

"Yeah" Everyone agreed.

"OK, so what film does everyone want to watch?"

"It has to be something with snow, to match the day" Sharpay said

"OK, I'll get all my _snowy_ DVDs out" Troy said, sarcastically.

"Good good" Sharpay said, satisfied.

"OK, so who wants to watch what?"

"Narnia" the majority of them said.

"OK, which one, Prince Caspian or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?"

"The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe has snow in it, Prince Caspian doesn't, and therefore we watch The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Sharpay told them.

"Everyone agree?" Troy asked

"Yeah sure"

"Of course everyone agrees, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is, like, the best film ever made!" Chad told them, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're just bias because it's been your favourite film since year 2" Troy said, putting the DVD in

"So? It's still an awesome film!" Chad argued.

So, they spent the first hour of their day watching the film. They had a laugh watching it, especially the people who were kind of watching it, annoying the people who were fully watching it.

After the film they had to come up with something else to do.

"Snowball fight" Chad insisted, for what seemed like the 5th time in about 10 minutes

"Yes Chad, it's an idea" Troy told him, again.

"Any other ideas?" Chad asked, hoping everyone would say no.

"Hey Troy, haven't you got a Wii?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah, but I still need to set it up" Troy told him

"It's pretty easy to set up" Jason told him "Why don't we go on the Wii"

"Yeah sure, what do you guys think?" Sharpay asked.

"Sounds good to me" Troy told them "I'll go get it; we'll set it up in the living room.

"But what about a snowball fight?" Chad demanded

"We'll do that after" Troy promised

It was harder to get the Wii set up than they first anticipated.

"OK, so we need to get the picture up" Taylor said.

"And the sound" Sharpay told them.

"Um, who put the wires straight into the back of the TV?" Troy asked

"That was me" Chad told him

"Yeah, you have to use this" Troy said, holding up a connector cable, with three coloured things coming out of it.

"And connect the right coloured wires with the right colours on here" Troy told him.

Once he connected everything, the picture and sound was working.

"Awesome! Does it work now?" Chad asked.

"The remotes don't work" Zeke told them, confused

"OK, is there anything in the instructions?" Taylor asked, looking to Gabriella

"It says something about syncing the remotes." She showed Troy what she read.

He did as the instructions told him, and the Wii finally was ready to play.

"Not that hard, huh?" Troy asked Jason.

"I didn't think it would be"

"Yeah, we could have been having a snowball fight" Chad told him

"CHAD!" They all yelled.

"Sorry" he said, and shrunk back into the sofa.

"OK, now that we have got it working, even if it did take a while, who goes first?" Kelsi asked.

"I'm not, people look like idiots on these things" Sharpay said "And I'm not going to make myself look like an idiot unless someone else does it first"

"Who wants to go first?" Troy asked.

No one said anything.

"I guess I'll go first"

Troy already had some games, but they played the Wii Sports and the WiiPlay games. The second game they found to be hilarious and scary at the same time.

"You have to drink the milk Ryan, like you would normally drink milk!" Sharpay told him.

Ryan held the remote firmly and tilted the remote to his mouth, as if he were drinking milk. However, on the game the milk went all over the persons face.

Everyone in the room burst out laughing.

"That's how you drink milk Ryan?" Chad asked, sarcastically

Ryan grumbled something no one could understand what he was saying.

"What's so funny?" Tami asked, walking downstairs.

"Ryan got milk all over his face" Chad said, calming down a bit.

Tami looked at Ryan, and was instantly confused.

"Has he washed it off?" She asked.

"It was on the game" Troy told her.

She looked at the TV and saw the Wii was set up.

"It's finally been set up?" Tami asked, obviously knowing the answer.

Troy nodded anyway.

"About time! It's been about a year since we bought it"

"Yeah, I know. You want a go?" Troy offered.

"Sure, if you guys don't mind?" Tami asked

"Go ahead" They all said.

_4 hours later_

"I can't believe we've just spent 4 hours on that thing" Taylor said, amazed

"I can't believe it's still snowing" Gabriella said, looking out the window.

"I can't believe we haven't even gone out in the snow!" Chad nearly yelled.

"What do you guys want to do now?" Jason asked, having not really listened to the conversation beforehand.

Chad didn't say a word. He got up and went outside to Troys back garden.

"I think we have to have that snowball fight now" Troy said, watching Chad walk out of the room

"We've been promising him all day" Sharpay reminded them.

"Let's go then" Zeke said, standing up.

The rest of them stayed seated for a second.

"HEY!" They heard Zeke yell.

Everyone got up to see what had happened.

When they got there they saw Zeke had a huge wet patch on his jeans and T-Shirt, he was glaring at Chad, while Chad was in fits of laughter on the floor.

"You're so going to pay" Zeke warned. Chad didn't get a chance to move before Zeke got a snowball made in his hand and threw it at Chad, who didn't get up in time to dodge it.

Chad threw one back, but Zeke ducked...it hit Sharpay instead.

Everyone knew Chad was in trouble from the moment it hit her, they knew how much from the way her eyes widened instantly.

"Chad Danforth, do you have any last words?" Sharpay asked calmly.

"Um, please don't kill me?" Chad said, uncertainly.

"Waste of a few words" Sharpay told him, and threw a snowball at him, which hit him square in the face.

All of a sudden, after that, everyone was making snowballs and chucking them at anyone, and they weren't taking any prisoners.

"OK, this has to be more organized, so we go in pairs. Who's going with whom?" Chad asked

"Well I think it's obvious that Troy and Gabriella will go together" Tami told them

"Obviously, so, who's going with whom out of us?" Sharpay asked.

They all looked at each other, they couldn't let Tami deal with Ryan after what he did, and Tami didn't really want to go with Ryan.

Troy and Gabriella saw the dilemma, and decided to intervene, before they could, Zeke spoke.

"I'll go with Tami" he said.

Tami smiled thankfully.

"I'll go with Kelsi" Jason said, realizing he probably should have said that before.

"I'll go with Chad" Sharpay told them.

Taylor and Ryan looked at each other, not knowing how they felt about being paired with each other, but knowing they'd have to deal with it.

"OK, so is everyone ready to start _'The Ultimate Snowball Fight Games'_?" Chad asked in a presenter's voice.  
"In the Red Team we have Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez.  
In the Blue Team we have Sharpay Evans and myself, Chad Danforth.  
In the Green Team we have Zeke Baylor and Tami Bolton.  
In the Purple Team we have Taylor McKessie and Ryan Evans and in the  
Yellow Team we have Kelsi Neilson and Jason Cross"

They had all put arm bands on of their team colours.

Challenge 1: Who Can Build the Tallest Snowman

"OK, the first challenge is between Green Team and Purple Team. The challenge is to build the tallest snowman in 5 minutes...GO!" Chad yelled.

Zeke and Tami started gathering snow to make the bottom of the snowman. One worked on the bottom and one worked on the head, both trying to build it up as much as they could.

Taylor and Ryan were taking a different approach. They were working together on all aspects of the snowman, thinking that if they worked together on building it up, it would become bigger and faster working together.

"Where do we get clothing and stuff for the snowman?" Zeke asked.

"I'm done with the head, you put it on, and I'll go get some stuff" Tami told him

When Zeke finished his part he went to the head, which was just a few inches smaller than the body. He put it on and it was about 2 inches smaller than the head.

He put twigs in for arms, and Tami came back with clothes and stuff for the face.

"OK and time's up" Chad called. "Let's get judging"

"So, is that a snow...Woman?" Sharpay asked

Tami looked at the snowman for a second, before realizing it was a snowwoman.

"Yes it is, is that a problem?" Tami asked.

"No, not at all" Sharpay told her.

"OK, I got the measuring tape" Troy told them.

"Now, let's see who the winner is" Chad said, jumping up and down, excitedly.

"OK, Purple Teams snowman is 5 ft" he said "And Green Team is-" he said measuring "7 ft"

"The winner of the Tallest Snowman Challenge is Green Team" Chad announced.

"We should give them names you know" Kelsi suggested

"Yeah definitely, but ones a woman" Chad said.

"So? Just because it's a woman doesn't mean it can't have a name" Taylor said.

"Yeah, we should make a campaign 'Join the campaign for suffrafrostettes!" Gabriella yelled.

"YEAH!" All the girls yelled.

"I don't think that's what he meant" Troy told the girls.

"Um, suffrafrostettes?" Jason asked

"Well, the people who campaigned for women's rights were the suffragettes, so it makes sense to call the campaign suffrafrostettes" Taylor told him.

"SO" Zeke yelled, getting every ones attention.

"Names for the snowy people?" He asked.

"Mr and Mrs Jingle Bells" Tami suggested.

"Sounds good to me, I'll be right back" Troy told them.

He came back with his camera and took a picture of the 2 snowy people.

"What are you calling the pictures?" Sharpay asked.

"I thought we named them already?" Troy asked, confused.

"Yes, but you have to give the whole picture a name" Sharpay said, in an obvious tone.

"_FEAR THE LITTLE SNOW PEOPLE!_" Chad yelled suddenly.

They all turned to him, Troy smiled.

"And that is the title for the picture" he told her.

Chad groaned in embarrassment

Challenge 2: Who Can Make the Best Fort

"OK, now this will be Red Team and Yellow Team against each other for this challenge" Chad announced. "In this challenge you will have to make a fort, out of snow, and the best fort wins"

"How big do they have to be?" Troy asked

"2 inches" Chad told them...

Everyone looked at each other before they burst out laughing

"What?" Chad asked.

"Chad, they won't be able to hide behind that!" Taylor told him.

"2 metres" Sharpay told them.

"Alright" Troy told them.

"I knew that, I just wanted to see if you did" Chad said, defensively.

"OK Chad, whatever you say" Troy said.

"OK, are you all ready?" Sharpay asked.

"GO!"

Troy and Gabriella started working on the walls of the castle; they knew they would have to be thick to withhold anything. They decided to build it around them so they knew they would be able to fit in it. Once they got the walls up to over their heads, they stopped, not bothering to do a roof.

Kelsi and Jason decided to do the fort then get in it; however, it wasn't able to fit both of them in.

"OK, let's judge these, whose fort is the best?" Chad asked. "Votes will be made in secret. Here's some paper, write down the names, then give them back, and we'll see who wins"

"So, 1 vote for Kelsi and Jason" he said, opening the paper. "1 vote for Troy and Gabriella" he went on "2 votes for Troy and Gabriella. 2 votes for Kelsi and Jason. 3 votes for Troy and Gabriella." He took the last piece of paper; he opened it and read "4 votes for Troy and Gabriella, which makes Red Team the winners of 'Who can make the best fort'!" Chad told them.

"Here" Troy said handing Sharpay his camera. "Take a picture of the Red and Yellow teams' fort" he told her.

_Click Click Click_

"Done" Sharpay smiled, not giving the camera back, not that Troy noticed.

Challenge 3: Snowball Target Practice

"So, Chad, want to explain to us how this challenge works?" Troy asked.

"Basically, you have to make snowballs, and then throw them at the cans in front of you, and you have to try and knock them all down. As you can see, there have been 6 lots of tins set up, which means you get three shots each"

"OK, next up is Blue Team against Green Team" Troy announced.

"Everyone ready?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Tami said.

Sharpay nodded.

"OK, Green Team, you will have your chance first to get the first tin down." Troy told them.

They brought forward the first can and Tami threw the first snowball and hit the target.

"Excellent throw by Tami, the score stands at 1-0" Troy spoke loudly.

They brought forward the first can for Sharpay and Chad. Chad threw the snowball at the can, and missed

"Oops"

"OK, Chad Danforth missed his shot; therefore the score still stands at 1-0"

The second can for Tami and Zeke was brought to them, Zeke through the snowball and missed.

"Oh and Zeke Baylor misses the can, the score stands at 1-0 giving the Blue team a chance to get back into the game"

Sharpay through the snowball this time, and hit the tin

"See, that's how it's done!" Sharpay said to Chad.

"Sharpays throw has gotten the Blue team back into the game. Green Team need to hit the target, otherwise Blue Team will win the challenge"

"Thanks Troy, no pressure" Tami said, sarcastically.

Tami took some snow and rolled it into a tight ball, making sure the snow wouldn't come out of the ball half way to the tin. She threw the ball, the ball went a bit diagonal on its journey, but still managed to hit the can and knock it down.

"It's now 2-1 to the Green Team. If Blue Team get this, it's a tie and they get 1 point each, if they don't, they lose Green Team get 3 points and they win the challenge"

"Danforth you'd better make sure you hit the target!" Sharpay yelled.

Chad tried to make himself seem like he didn't care about Sharpays threats, however, was failing miserably, showing that he was indeed _very_ frightened of Sharpays threats.

Chad didn't want to throw the snowball, afraid that he'd miss, so he spent as long as he could making sure the snowball was _sufficient _enough for throwing.

"Chad will you throw the damn ball already, we're going to be here all day!" Sharpay yelled.

Chad nodded in obedience, every shred of his acting _'not bothered'_ scraped away from the moment she said his name.

Chad threw the snowball, and covered his eyes, waiting for a reaction from Sharpay.

"Chad" When Troy said his name, he hesitantly looked round. "You are one lucky guy" he said, looking at the tin on the floor

Chad instantly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the pressure off him a bit, though he knew Sharpay wouldn't be pleased with a draw, but it was way better than loosing.

"So, shall we take a look at the score board before we go onto challenge 4?" Kelsi asked.

"Yeah, OK, so in first place with 4 points we have the Green Team. In 2nd place Red Team with 3 points. 3rd place Blue Team with 1 point and 4th place Yellow and Purple team tie with 0 points" Troy read.

"We're third Chad, this is unacceptable" Sharpay told him.

"We'll win the next round Sharpay" Chad said, confidently.

"We're going to win the whole thing nothing less!" Sharpay said, and walked off.

Chad turned to the others.

"Please, please, please let us win" Chad begged.

"Chad, get over here now, we need to plan"

Chad looked at the others pleadingly; however, they were showing no mercy.

Chad whimpered and walked, slowly, over to Sharpay.

"This should be fun" Troy said, suddenly, looking round at everyone.

They all nodded in agreement. It was fun watching Sharpay scare people and as long as they weren't on the receiving end of it, it was usually fun to watch them too.

Challenge 4: Capture the Flag

"OK, for this challenge, we need to go back to the forts" Chad told them.

They all walked over to the forts, and watched as Chad put a flag on each of them.

"So, what is this challenge about?" Kelsi asked

"OK, basically what you have to do is, while protecting your flag, you have to get the other persons flag" Chad explained.

"Who's playing this round?" Gabriella asked.

"Yellow Team and Purple Team" Chad told them.

"So, are you ready?" Chad asked

"Yeah" They all answered, once they were in position.

"Know your plan?"

"Yeah"

"OK, GO!"

Ryan was keeping guard for their flag while Taylor went to go and get Jason and Kelsi's flag. At first Jason and Kelsi were both guarding the flag, walking round the flag, with their backs turned, making sure no one could get to it.

Once they noticed Taylor was half way to their flag, she was walking slowly, Jason stopped, and he was facing their opponent's flag. However, Kelsi kept going. Once they were both in the same place, Jason ran to their opponents flag, making Taylor speed up, however, she was shocked by the sudden run, that it took a while to get her brain functioning, but not that long, she ran towards Kelsi. Jason was now trying to get past Ryan, but he wasn't giving in easily. Jason decided to use a basketball move and go one way, making Ryan think he was going to go that way, however, suddenly went the other way, and got the flag. He looked over at Kelsi and Taylor, and saw Taylor grab the flag, when she looked round; Jason had already won the challenge.

"Yellow Team wins!" Chad yelled.

Challenge 5: Snow Sculpture.

"Right, for this challenge you have to make a sculpture, it can be of anything you want, but it has to be good, and we have to be able to recognise what it is." Chad told them. "This round is Green against Red. Ready? GO!"

There was no time limit for this round, so they decided to make sure they could build what they wanted to do before going straight into it.

Tami and Zeke were first to start building what they wanted to do. Making sure everything was perfect about what they were doing.

After about 5 minutes, Troy and Gabriella too started building their sculpture.

"Come on, hurry up!" Chad yelled, getting impatient.

"Shut up, Chad" they yelled back.

"How is this supposed to stay in place?" Troy asked.

"You're just going to have to force it too" Chad told them

"Very helpful" Troy replied, sarcastically.

"Done" Zeke and Tami told them.

"Alright, now for Troy and Gabriella to get done" Chad said.

Troy and Gabriella glared and got back to work.

After another 10 minutes they were too done.

"Alright, let's see what Tami and Zeke have come up with" Chad said, walking over to their sculpture.

"Now we all have a guess to see if we can find out what it is" Chad told them "If one of us gets it right, we move to Troy and Gabriella's sculpture, if one of us gets that right, then we decide which one is better"

"So, I think it's a...house" Chad decided.

"Um, no" Zeke said, scratching the back of his head.

"A microphone?" Sharpay asked.

"No" Tami replied.

"A box" Ryan guessed

"No"

"A cat in a basket" Kelsi tried.

"Yes!" Zeke and Tami yelled, amazed

"Awesome! Now that we have know what Tami and Zeke have created, let's go see Troy and Gabriella's" Chad said, walking over to theirs.

"OK, is it a horse?" Jason asked, getting straight into guessing.

"No" they answered.

"A phoenix?" Taylor guessed

"No" They sighed.

"Guys, you really don't know what this is?" Chad asked, surprised.

They shook their heads

"Do you?" Sharpay asked, challengingly.

"Well, it looks like the Wildcat logo" Chad said, he looked at Troy and Gabriella.

They nodded.

"That's exactly what it is Chad" Gabriella said, smiling.

They all took another look, and realized it was in fact the Wildcat logo.

"OK, so who wins?" Tami asked.

"Put your vote on a piece of paper, and we'll see who wins" Chad told the rest of them.

"OK, one vote for Troy and Gabriella"

"One vote for Tami and Zeke"

"Two votes for Tami and Zeke"

"Two votes for Troy and Gabriella"

"Three votes for Troy and Gabriella, which means Red Team wins Challenge 4" Chad announced.

Challenge 6: Snowball Fight

"This challenge is in the name. You will have a snowball fight. You have 10 snowballs each. You need to hit both of the opposite opponents 5 times" Troy told them.

"The teams that are being challenged to this challenge are Blue Team and Purple Team, you all ready?" Gabriella asked.

"GO!" They yelled.

They all started off by hiding behind the trees in Troys back garden. Sharpay looked round and saw Taylors leg creeping round the tree, as if she were about to attack. Before she could Sharpay got a snowball and aimed it for her leg. As soon as she saw her whole leg, she threw the snowball, and hit her right in the middle. Taylor squealed and looked round to glare at the person who hit her. However, Sharpay had already hidden herself again.

"1 for Blue Team" Troy yelled.

"Ryan" Taylor hissed.

Ryan looked round

"We're losing; we need to find a way to get them back"

Ryan nodded in agreement, and come out from his hiding place, making himself available for target.

Taylor was confused for a second, before she saw a snowball headed his was, he dodged it.

Taylor smiled, and snuck out from her hiding place, taking a few snowballs with her.

She saw Sharpay behind the tree, once she saw her fully, standing far enough away for Sharpay to not realize she was standing next to her, but close enough to get her in view and able to hit her, perfectly. She looked around and saw a tree she could hide behind. Once she was ready, behind the tree, she threw a snowball at Sharpay, hitting her right in the side of her face. She didn't wait to see Sharpays face in reaction to hide again, though she wished she did from the sound of her screaming.

By now, both Ryan and Chad were out, hitting each other 5 times each. Now it was up to Taylor and Sharpay to see who wins and who loses. Sharpay knew exactly where the snowball had come from. Not the place she threw it. As soon as she saw another tree next to her, she knew Taylor was there.

'_Well two can play at this game' _Sharpay thought, and took the remainder of her snowballs and moved to the next tree along, moving further away from Taylor, but on the opposite side, so Taylor was not able to see her.

When Taylor looked round next, she was immediately confused, not being able to see Sharpay. She instantly got paranoid and turned, but as soon as she did, her face was met with the feeling of cold, and the colour of white.

She heard Sharpays faint giggles, and the sound was moving, Taylor decided to follow it. Not caring that she was making herself vulnerable by going out into the open, she took her snowballs and followed the sound of Sharpays voice, until suddenly it was gone.

Turning round again, she saw her opponent behind her, snowball in hand and ready, before she could throw it, Taylor launched one at her, and got her in the stomach. Sharpay squealed from the cold, and threw a glare at Taylor.

After that it became a proper snowball fight with the remainder of snowballs they had left, in the end, hitting each other at the exact same time.

They stopped realizing that it had come to a draw, both not happy with the outcome.

"So, the last challenge was a tie between Blue Team and Purple Team, let's see who goes on to the final challenge" Troy said.

"OK, in 1st place with 6 points Red Team, 2nd place with 4 points Green Team, 3rd place with 3 points Yellow Team, 4th place with 2 points Blue Team and 5th place with 1 point Purple Team" Chad read off the _paper_.

"So, who goes to the finals" Kelsi asked.

"The teams in first and second place, which means Red and Green Team" Chad told them.

Troy and Tami immediately looked at each other. Troy sent Tami a look that said _'Bring it on, sis'_ Tami sent one back, which read _'Oh bro trust me, it's on' _

"For challenge 7 we need to go to a hill" Chad told them, interrupting Troy and Tami's silent exchange.

"I know where we can go" Kelsi told them.

"Lead the way" Troy said, moving out the way for her.

Challenge 6: Obstacle Course. 

"So for this challenge, it's a bit more complicated." Chad warned them.

"What do we have to do?" Zeke asked.

"OK, you have to go through the designated tunnels. The ones marked in red, are for Troy and Gabriella, the ones marked green, are for Tami and Zeke" he told them. "You have to go through the tunnels, do the limbo, swing on the rope over the ditch, then go to the sled and you both have to side down the hill, once that's done and you're at the end, you have to bury one of you in the snow, and stay in the snow for 5 minutes, if you move because you can't stand the cold, or move anyway, you have to get up and bury them again, and the time restarts, got it?" Chad asked.

"Think so" Tami answered.

"Yeah, I think we got it" Troy said.

"Alright, ready?" he said, dragging the word out for longer than necessary.

They looked at him intently waiting for the word so they could get going.

He took in a deep breath "GO!" He yelled, and they were off before he could even finish the word.

They all had a tunnel each to go through and they all came out at the same time. Troy being the faster runner got to the limbo bit first and managed to get under the small space without falling, or doing any other damage to himself. He ran to the rope and waited for Gabriella to catch up, when he thought she was close enough, he swung over the ditch, as soon as his feet hit the ground, Gabriella was there waiting for the rope, however, when Troy looked over, Zeke was half way over the ditch. He threw the rope back to Gabriella and she caught it and swung over, Troy caught her, and they ran to the sled, looking back, Tami had just gotten over.

"Troy, I don't know if I can do this part" she said, looking down the hill. It wasn't very steep; however, it was a long way down.

"We don't have to if you don't want to" he told her.

She looked over and saw Tami and Zeke also at the hill, facing the same dilemma. She shook her head and decided she'd do it.

"Promise you won't let me fall out or anything" she looked pleadingly at Troy.

"Yeah, like I'd ever let that happen" Troy said, smiling.

She felt a bit better after that, and sat down on the sled, the fear was still there, but knowing Troy was going to be with her, made her feel a bit better.

Once all this was done and sorted, none of them had realized that they had pushed off at the exact same time, going at exactly the same speed, getting to the end at exactly the same time.

On the way down, you could hear Troy and Zekes laughter, and Tami and Gabriella's screaming, while trying not to. Gabriella clung to Troy for dear life, holding on with the grip of death if used in any other way, Troy made sure to keep hold of Gabriella at the same time, so she'd feel the tiniest bit safe. Zeke and Tami were in, pretty much, the same position while going down the hill, Zeke decided to keep hold of Tami, mainly because she was like a sister too him, but also because he didn't want Tami, or Troy, to kill him at the end of it all.

Once they had gotten down, and gotten out of the sled they looked at each other, and it was decided that Troy and Zeke get in the snow. They were vaguely aware of the others running down the hill to make sure they knew who won. Gabriella was building the snow from the bottom up, while Tami was just grabbing snow and throwing it on Zeke.

"Remember" Chad tried to yell, completely out of breath. "They have to be buried so good, that they can't move, even if they tried to get up"

Tami stopped to look at what she was doing, and decided to get handfuls of snow and pat it down on Zeke.

Once they were completely buried with snow, apart from their necks, they had to remain completely still for 5 minutes, without moving any part of their body.

Troys fists had been clenched from the moment his body touched the snow, and he was sure that after all this was over, this hands would remain that way.

Zeke was having a hard time keeping still, he was doing OK so far, however, he felt his body about to move, and it was getting harder and harder to control it.

"OK, one minute left" Chad called out, looking at Taylors watch.

Neither one of them could stand it anymore; however, they had to keep going.

A bit of melted snow somehow made its way onto Zekes neck, and he flinched from the sudden coldness to his skin. His eyes widened as he realized what he had done, he looked around, and they knew what he had done.

Zeke sighed and got up out of the snow. Gabriella looked up, and realized he must have moved.

"And the winners" Chad suddenly yelled, making everyone jumped seeing as it was so quiet. "Of _'The Ultimate Snowball Fight Games'_ are Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez"

As soon as Troy heard this he shot up from under the snow and ran to the car, putting the heating on as soon as he got in.

The rest looked at him, trying to warm himself up and started laughing.

"Wow are we good friends or what?" Sharpay asked, still laughing a bit.

"What do you mean?" Chad asked.

"Well first we put them through this, and now we laugh when he's in need of some warmth" she told them.

"Well he's our friend, there has to be some kind of law to say it's legal for us to do it" Jason said.

"I agree with Jason" Tami said.

"Of course_ you_ do" Kelsi said "You're his sister, you have to agree"

"Oh, and you don't?" Tami asked.

Kelsi stayed silent.

"See! You agree too" Tami said, proudly.

"Hey!" a voice called.

They looked round to see Troy with his head out of the window.

"You know, the heating is good, but it would be really great if we could leave and get to some _indoor_ heat, with heating and fire" he told them.

They rolled their eyes and got into the car and drove back to Troys house.

Troys house

"So, how's your day been?" Lucille asked, as they walked through the living room door.

Troy didn't respond, he just went and turned the fire on and stayed their warming himself up.

Lucille looked at the others for some kind of explanation.

"Long story" they all responded.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Really love this chapter the way it is :) not much that was changed._

_I HAVE to thank my friends __**Rosie (**__**Celestial Nightmare)**__and __**Amy (Morte d'Amour)**__ they have helped me so much with this chapter, its unbelievable! THANK YOU!_


	34. A Valentines Surprise

Troyella

_[Disclaimer: Last time I checked I didn't own High School Musical..]_

**Chapter 34: A Valentines Surprise [Edited]**

'_Valentine's Day'_ Troy Bolton thought as he woke up that morning. The day he would show his girlfriend just how much he loved and cared for her. He knew she knew he loved her, but he felt he had to show her, he needed to know that she knew _how much_ he loved her, and by the end of the night, he was certain she would know.

Gabriella Montez woke up feeling very excited about the day that lay ahead. Troy had told her the night before that today would be a long, but exciting day, and she couldn't wait to get started. She had woken up at 7 o'clock, because Troy said to be ready at 8 o'clock, and she knew that he wanted to make the day extra special, so she decided that she would go along with whatever he planned, even though she knew that if she was spending the day with Troy, that valentine's day would be the most amazing valentine's day of her life.

When Gabriella was fully dressed and ready she decided that she'd head to Troys. When she went downstairs a most wonderful aroma overwhelmed her sense of smell, she became intrigued and went to the kitchen to see a plate of food was left for her on the breakfast bar. There was a small box beside it, she opened the box and saw the most beautiful necklace she had ever laid eyes on. She saw that inside the box there was also a note.

_My Beautiful Girlfriend,_

_Now, first of all, don't worry about the food, I left when I heard you walking down the stairs, it's still hot and good to eat._

_Second of all, don't give a second thought to the price of the necklace, no matter the price; you deserve such a beautiful necklace to go with the most beautiful girl I have ever met._

_Now, I can finally say,_

_Happy Valentine's Day!_

_I wish I could be there with you right now, however, today I want to show you just how much I love and care for you, therefore, you will have to endure some things today; however, I promise it will be worthwhile. _

_I hope you like your first present of the day, and yes there are more to come._

_Now Gabriella, I know you'll hate me for this, but not for long, but the only way you will find me is through a series of challenges and tests that await you._

_Your first clue...The Broken Picture...sorry but that's all you're getting_

_I know you'll figure it out though..._

_Your boyfriend_

_Troy Bolton_

_xxx_

Gabriella was wide-eyed by the end of the note. He was sending her on a sort of hunt, and the hunt lead to him, this Gabriella knew, and the fact she'd be getting some more gifts from him.

As Gabriella sat eating her breakfast _'An outstanding, mouth-watering, delicious breakfast'_ Gabriella thought tasting it, she thought about her clue _The Broken Picture_.

"OK" Gabriella said to herself "Broken...smashed picture, cracked picture, ripped picture" she pondered. "No there has to be another meaning...broken picture, a picture that will break, a picture that has been broken. _But I don't have a picture that has anything to do with anything breaking!"_ she nearly yelled in frustration...then it hit her

She decided she was finished with her breakfast and rushed up to her room to her dressing table where a picture of her and Troy singing Breaking Free lay in a photo frame.

Gabriella took the back off the picture, and sure enough, a note was laying there, a note that contained the next clue which would take her one step closer to Troy.

_Gabriella,_

_I knew you'd figure it out...and I'm sure it didn't take you long either._

Gabriella could imagine his bright and shining smile vividly in her mind.

_So, now that you've figured out the first clue, I imagine you want the second one...well here it is:_

_We learn, we sing, we play, we dance, we have fun, we're with each other and we all live happily ever after – Where is this place?_

_Now go finish your breakfast and find the second clue, oh and on your way out, look in your mailbox _

_Love Troy_

_xxxx_

Gabriella went downstairs and looked at her breakfast. All she wanted to do was figure out what the next clue was and get to the next note, but first she had to figure out what the hell Troy was on about. So, reluctantly, she sat down and began eating again, it was still delicious, but she wasn't concentrating on the taste, she was concentrating on the clue.

"We learn, we sing we play, we dance, we have fun, we're with each other and we all live happily ever after" Gabriella had been repeating this to herself for the past five minutes.

"OK, where do we do all of these things?" She asked herself "When he says we, he might mean more than me and him, he could mean the whole gang. Well we play at the beach, but we don't sing or dance at the beach, let alone learn" She smiled to herself, she had just figured out the meaning to her clue.

When she did figure it out she was out the door immediately, she almost forgot to go and check the mailbox, but reminded herself she needed too.

When she opened it there was a card and a box inside.

She opened the card and read the words inside

_Gabriella,_

_Happy Valentine's Day_

_We have been together for nearly a year, and I know it's hard to believe...but it's true._

_I wanted to make this Valentine's Day the most special, and that you will remember it in years to come._

_I love you, Gabriella Montez, and that is __never__ going to change._

_Lots of Love_

_Troy xxx_

Gabriella couldn't stop smiling after reading her card, it meant so much to her, and the words, and they held so much meaning and so much emotion she couldn't even describe.

She opened the box and found a pair of long dangly ear-rings. The colours of the diamonds were clear and red...and Gabriella absolutely loved them.

She decided to go back indoors and put the card on the mantel piece on top of the fire and put the ear-rings on; she was now wearing both pieces of jewellery Troy had given her.

When Gabriella was satisfied, she walked back out, and started running to her destination.

East High. This is where she was hoping her next clue was held. From the rest of the clue, she decided to go and check the theatre first.

When she got there, she saw a girl on the stage, sitting down and swinging her legs, as if waiting for someone, it took Gabriella a second to realize, she knew the girl.

"Sharpay? What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Zeke?" Gabriella asked.

"Me and Zeke are meeting up later for a romantic meal" Sharpay told her, excitement in her voice as she told Gabriella.

"Oh, OK, so why are you in school?"

"I could ask you the same question" Sharpay retorted.

"Well I-"

"Gabriella I know why you're here"

"You do?" She asked.

"Well duh! If I didn't I wouldn't be here right now"

"So, you're going to tell me the next clue?" Gabriella asked.

"Nope, I am the next clue" She told her.

"You're the next clue?" Gabriella asked, making sure she had heard her right.

"Yep"

"Aren't you allowed to tell me anything?" Gabriella asked, kind of pleadingly.

"Troy told me to give you this, and that's all I'm allowed" Sharpay said, handing over another note.

Gabriella opened it quickly.

_My Gabriella,_

_Now don't be mad, I know giving you Sharpay as a clue is __very__ confusing, but I assure you, it will make sense. Yes Sharpay knows how she's the clue, and no she won't tell you, so don't bother asking._

_I am going to give you something to make it a little easier, so hopefully it will help._

_Somewhere Only We Know_

_Yes it's a song, and this part of Sharpay being the clue a) No has nothing to do with the next place and b) Yes has something to do with the next._

_No Sharpay is not allowed to go with you to the place you need to go to now. Just turn around and leave when you figure it out, and it should be obvious, trust me, you'll get it._

_Now say bye to Sharpay and go to get your next clue_

_Love Troy xxx_

Gabriella giggled. "Bye Sharpay" she said, walking out

"See you in a minute Gabriella" she yelled back.

As Gabriella walked through East High she noticed little things Troy had done, maybe with help from their friends, she wasn't sure. As she walked passed lockers, there were some little sticky notes saying things like _I Love You_ and _Together Forever_ little things that made Gabriella feel giddy and special. She also noticed posters on the walls, very separated, but still there, showing memories of their time together, such as the first time they met, to the snow day...from days as big as their anniversary to days as small as just hanging out together. Gabriella picked them all up, deciding she would make a scrap-book and put all of these in there when she got home.

Gabriella finally came to a door and walked through and up the stairs to hers and Troys little hide-out. Yes the gang knew about it, but since the days where they had to revise, they swore that they wouldn't go up their unless it was an emergency. So it was still declared as the place that only they knew of.

She saw a note on the bench; she went and picked it up...

_Gabriella, _

_I see you figured out the clue..._

_Now I know you're wondering why I've brought you up here,_

_What I want you to do is, once you've finished reading this note,_

_Go to the railings on the opposite side you're standing on..._

_After that, go back to Sharpay..._

_Love Troy_

_xxx_

Gabriella was confused, but went to look over the railings anyway. Her eyes went wide as she looked down. So many feelings ran through her. Amazement, happiness, shock at the amount of time Troy must have spent on doing it and of course, she felt so much love for him.

_Troy Bolton_

_Loves_

_Gabriella Montez_

_Always&Forever_

The happiness she felt when she saw this was unbelievable. She wanted to see Troy, to tell him just how much she loved him too; however, she had to complete this scavenger hunt before she could.

When she got back down to the theatre Sharpay wasn't there. Gabriella was confused, until she saw another note.

Gabriella laughed with amazement. _Nothing can ever be that simple with him. _Gabriella picked up the note and opened it.

_Gabriella,_

_Sorry but I'm not making this easy for you, although it probably is an easy clue, most likely one of the easiest..._

_Either way, Sharpay is meeting you somewhere, and you have to guess where...now I'm not giving you any clues where she could be...but I can tell you that no she's not with Zeke._

_Anyway, you're about half way through...so don't give up just yet :)_

_Hope you liked what you saw from our place..._

_Love you._

_See you soon!_

_Troy_

_xxx_

Gabriella smiled at the note and set off to find Sharpay, he was right, it had to be one of the easiest clues he had given her...

"So I see you found me" Sharpay smiled.

"Well it wasn't that hard, where else would you be?" Gabriella asked sarcastically.

"True, very true"

"So, why am I here?" Gabriella asked.

They were currently standing outside one of Sharpays favourite shops in town.

"Well, first of all, this isn't the place were going" Sharpay told her, indicating towards the shop

"Then, where are we going?"

"You're going to have to put this on" Sharpay told her, handing her a blindfold.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and put it on.

"OK, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Uh 3?"

"Nope, 10" Sharpay smiled "Come on" she said, guiding her through people and things.

"Sharpay, where are we going?"

"I told you, I'm not telling you, now stop asking"

Gabriella sighed, she noticed that they had come to a stop and Sharpay wasn't holding Gabriella's arm any more.

"Sharpay?" Gabriella called.

She went to take off the blindfold but then she heard another voice, still familiar to her, but not Sharpays, told her not too.

"Chad, where's Sharpay?"

"She's taken you this far, now I have to take you through more of this journey you're on"

"OK, that's fine, but why are we in town?"

"You'll see"

"Why all the secrecy?" Gabriella mumbled, only meaning for herself to hear it.

"Because then it wouldn't be a surprise" Gabriella grumbled something incoherent. "Come on, we're on a tight schedule"

"We are?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, for this part anyway"

They kept walking through the shopping centre; she knew she was still inside because she didn't feel the outside elements at all while she was walking. She felt herself being walked into a shop however; she had no clue what shop it was.

"Now, you're not allowed to see this, but there is a reason for you being in here" Chad told her.

"I'm confused"

"Good"

Chad took the blindfold off her and she recognized the shop as the one which Troy bought her necklace on her birthday.

"Chad...what are we doing here?"

"You'll see" Chad smiled.

"Chad, if he's bought be something, like, really expensive-"

"Gabriella, don't worry about it, OK...he may have, he may not have, but if he has he does it because he loves you"

"Yeah, bu-"

"No buts, now go to the counter, there's something waiting for you"

Gabriella nodded and went to the counter.

While she was up there, Chad texted Troy to let him know how far she had gotten.

"Hi, I'm Gabriella Montez" She said to the woman behind the counter.

"Hello, are you here to pick something up?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, I think so" Gabriella said nervously

The woman gave her a confused look.

"This was all set up by my boyfriend" Gabriella told her

"Oh, well that makes more sense to me" she laughed.

Gabriella laughed nervously.

"You're names Gabriella Montez?" The woman confirmed.

"Yes" Gabriella nodded.

"Alright, well we don't seem to have your name down"

Gabriella looked over at Chad, who just nodded towards the counter, as if to tell her to keep talking.

"Um, OK, what about Troy Bolton" She tried.

"Ah yes, Troy we have him down...unfortunately for you, he's not giving you an easy task of getting what he wants you to have"

Gabriella smiled despite this _'Trust Troy' _she thought, shaking her head.

"OK, what do I have to do?" Gabriella asked.

"Do you know what it is?" The woman asked, wondering why she was so eager.

"No, but this is a scavenger hunt type thing, so I have to complete it to get to him"

"Oh right, that's so sweet. You're a very lucky girl" The woman told her.

Gabriella smiled "Yeah, I guess I am" she laughed to herself.

"So, are you ready to continue?" The woman asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"OK, there is a question for you and you have to answer it correctly, you are allowed one clue" The woman told her.

"Alright"

"Oh, there are a total of 5 questions"

"I'm ready"

"Question 1: What was your first present of the day? It's out of two possible answers"

Gabriella thought back to this morning to think what it could be.

"The necklace?" She asked, wondering if it could have been the breakfast.

"Yes, the necklace is correct"

Gabriella smiled.

"Question 2: When we were heading to Sharpays house that day, for the sleepover, where did we go beforehand?"

"His secret place near her house" Gabriella smiled remembering the day.

"Correct. Question 3: What was the first place he invited you too?"

"The beach" she laughed, remembering how nervous she had been texting him and finding out once they'd gotten together he was just as nervous.

"Question 4: Where's our concert supposed to be?"

"P3" she answered, confused about this question.

"Question 5: Where do you have to go next?"

Gabriella could see the smirk on his face when thinking of this question.

"P3" She smiled, now realizing the need for the last question.

"Correct. Now you get your present." The woman told her. She gave her a box. In it was a beautiful diamond bracelet. Inside was a note.

_Hello Beautiful, _

_I see you answered all the questions correctly, _

_I hope you like the bracelet and no you're not returning it! And to make sure of this, I want to see you wearing it when I see you later... :)_

_Now I assume you know where to go, Chad __should__ still be there, he will take you._

_Today isn't quite near over, but don't worry, it won't last forever either...I do want to see you today._

Gabriella laughed.

_Can't wait to see you..._

_Love you,_

_Troy._

_xxx_

Gabriella looked over to where Chad was standing...he wasn't there.

Gabriella sighed and looked back at the note. She noticed Troy had put P.T.O on the page.

_If Chad isn't there, he might be either in the sports shop or the food square, those places are your best bet. If he's not there...__Tell Me!__ :)_

Gabriella shook her head and thanked the woman as she was walking out of the shop and headed for the food square.

"You realize Troy is going to have your head?" Gabriella asked, rhetorically.

"Ah, but he won't if you don't tell him...how did you find me anyway?" He asked.

"Troy put a note on the back of the note he wrote"

"He didn't trust me to stay?" Chad asked.

"Well if he hadn't I wouldn't have been able to find you, then_ I_ would have had your head because then it would have taken me longer to see Troy" Gabriella told him.

Chad's eyes widened. "Heh, better get you to P3 then, eh?"

"Good idea" Gabriella smiled, innocently.

At P3

"So, you made your way through Troy's obstacles I see" Phoebe smiled.

"Yeah, so far anyway"

"Well this one shouldn't be too hard" Piper told her.

"That's good then, so what do I have to do?" Gabriella asked, wanting to get straight on with it.

"Alright, basically you have to agree to something" Piper told her.

"That's it?" Gabriella asked, amazed.

"That's it" Paige confirmed.

"Oh no, what is it?" Gabriella asked.

"Why do you assume it's bad?" Phoebe asked.

"Because if it's all I have to do, then it will be bad"

"OK, well what you have to agree to is...singing on another night, not the concert night, in this club." Piper told her.

"What?"

"If you want, we can make it so Troy has too as well" Paige offered.

"He wants me to sing here?"

"Well it was our idea admittedly, Troy decided to use this day to the advantage"

Gabriella sighed, in disbelief.

"Come on, just a couple of songs, that's it, done" Paige told her, trying to convince her.

Gabriella shook her head, in near defeat. "This is all I have to do? Agree to perform here?"

They nodded.

"And Troy will be with me?" Gabriella asked, remembering her stage fright.

They nodded again.

She took a deep breath "OK then" she agreed.

"OK, sign here" Leo gave her some paper and a pen.

Gabriella signed.

"So, is there another note?" Gabriella asked, eagerly.

They laughed.

"Yeah, here you go" Paige gave it to her.

_Gabriella,_

_Please don't hate me!_

_I knew you wouldn't do it under any normal circumstances_

_But you agreed, so I thank you!_

_Now, I know you're wondering if now you'll get to see me, whether to really see me or to kill me I'm not sure._

_But I need to make sure it's not to kill me, so no not right now._

Gabriella laughed.

_Now, go to the secret place on the beach...I promise there's a reason_

_Love you (So much...)_

_Troy xxx_

Gabriella smiled, already forgiving Troy for making her agree to it.

"Bye guys, I'll see you... in a few days" she said in realization, remembering the concert.

"Bye Gabriella and thank you" They called as she was walking out the door.

When she got out she saw Kelsi outside the club.

"Kelsi? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to keep you company on the way to the beach"

"And to give me a note when I figure out why I'm there?" Gabriella asked.

"That too" Kelsi admitted.

"Don't you want to be spending Valentine's Day with Jason?"

"I'll be spending Valentines night with him" Kelsi smiled.

"But still-"

"Don't have another thought on it, now let's go to the beach and you can tell me all the things that Troy has done for you today" Kelsi suggested.

Gabriella sighed and nodded.

At the Beach

"So, we're at the secret place...so why are we here?" Gabriella asked.

"Have a look around" Kelsi told her.

"There aren't many places to look" Gabriella nearly laughed in surprise.

"Come on, just look"

"Where, what is this treasure hunt now?" Gabriella joked.

Her eyes widened and turned to Kelsi.

"It's not, is it?"

"Sorry, it is" Kelsi confirmed.

"Oh"

"Come on, he may not have made it too hard." Kelsi told her.

"Alright, where do I start?" She asked.

"Where do you usually start when looking for buried treasure?" Kelsi asked.

"A map?" She guessed.

"After that?" Kelsi said, making her go forward...

"Look for the 'X'" Gabriella asked, thinking it was ridiculous.

"Exactly, so start looking for an 'X' in the sand"

"...You're joking?"

"Mm...No, now start looking" Kelsi ordered.

Gabriella started walking around that area of the beach...she must have walked around 5 times at least.

"I can't find an 'X'" she called to Kelsi, who was sitting down waiting for Gabriella to finish.

"Keep looking, Troy might not have made it hard, but he's not going to make it easy either"

"And he thinks I'm not going to kill him for _this!_" Gabriella mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing"

Gabriella sighed, wondering where the hell Troy would put a freaking 'X' in a random space in the sand.

"Kelsi, I'm just going to move a bit further up, OK?"

"OK" Kelsi answered.

Gabriella was still in a secret place, but one that was separate from the bit Kelsi was in.

Gabriella frowned taking in her surroundings. It took her a moment to realize that this place was the exact place her and Troy had the meal on the beach...where they first told each other that they loved one another. And how did Gabriella remember this? Well, apparently Troy never got around to taking the lights down that he used that night.

Gabriella smiled remembering the night, then smiled wider realizing what this was all about. Remembering all the times they had spent together and been together.

The School

Their secret place

P3

The Beach

The Jewellery Shop

The Shopping Centre

The Theatre

The secret place on the beach

The place where they first told each other their true feelings

It was then she realized where the 'X' was...it may sound cheesy and it may sound sappy, but the 'X' wasn't put on the ground on the beach. The 'X' stood as a symbol for Troys love. The love that only she would receive from him, it wasn't buried, it was hidden, not his love, but the piece of him that held his love.

Gabriella smiled _'His heart'_

She smiled all the way walking back to Kelsi.

"So you've figured it out?" Kelsi asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella smiled.

"Pretty amazing the things he comes up with, huh?"

"Very" Gabriella was in so much shock she could barely talk.

"Would you like the note now?"

Gabriella nodded.

_Gabriella,_

_Well I see you've figured it out and I'm glad you have._

_Today you have remembered all the great times we have spent together and got to hang out with a few friends along the way...I hope you've had a great day so far._

_Gabriella you are the only person I could ever love and ever will love..._

_Now this must mean you know that what you were looking for wasn't buried somewhere on the beach._

_I want you to know that even though I can't give it to you wrapped up as a gift with a bow or anything, my heart does and always will belong to you..._

_Now, you want to know where I am?_

_Turn around..._

Gabriella turned and in the sea, on a huge boat was Troy, standing with a suit on, all dressed for the occasion. It seems that he's been running his hands through his hair, as if he was nervous about something, but he was smiling, as if something had washed all those nerves away. She turned back to see Kelsi was gone, but nevertheless ran into the sea and jumped on board, with Troy helping her.

"Hey" Gabriella greeted.

"Hey, it feels pretty good talking to you in person, without the use of notes" Troy told her.

"I know the feeling." Gabriella agreed.

"Come on, I have a surprise for you"

"Another one?" She asked.

"The nights not over yet"

When Troy took her inside she was so taken aback, it was the most beautiful, outstanding dream. However, it wasn't a dream and that's what made it even better.

"Dinner on the boat?" Gabriella asked, smiling.

"Yeah, do you like it?" He asked, nervously.

"I love it, so much"

Troy smiled.

"And I love you" She told him.

"I love you too"

_[Edited A/N]:_

_I really do like this chapter :)_

_Was happy with all of it really, hope you all liked it too :)_


	35. The Break In

Troyella

**Chapter 35: The Break In... [Edited]**

"No way man, you're joking right?" Troy laughed walking into his girlfriend's house. The gang had been out for a meal celebrating their success in the concert they had performed that night and were planning to stay over at Gabriella's house.

"No man, I'm being serious Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear trousers." Chad told them.

"How do you even know this stuff?" Gabriella asked.

"Internet" Chad shrugged

"You look it up?" Sharpay asked

"No, I was bored and looked up some useless facts"

"Gabriella, is something different here?" Troy asked, getting a bad feeling.

"Dude, you OK?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, it's just something doesn't seem right"

"Yeah, actually now that you mention it, something does seem different" Gabriella agreed.

"Gabriella wasn't there a photo of you and your family here?" Troy asked, pointing to the mantel piece.

"Yeah and isn't it 11:30?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah why?" Kelsi asked.

"Nothing it just seems Gabriella's clock has stopped."

"Well, could just be the batteries" Troy shrugged getting the clock down off the wall. "...if the batteries were actually in the clock" Troy said, turning it round to show the others.

"So, what? Someone came in and took a picture and stopped the clock?" Sharpay asked.

"What time does it say?" Ryan asked.

"Uh, 9:30" Troy told them

"While we were doing the concert?" Jason asked.

"Apparently so"

"Which means they knew that no-one would be in" Chad realized

"This doesn't make any sense, who would come in and take a picture and stop the clock?" Taylor asked.

"Unless it wasn't about the things they could take" Ryan suggested.

They all looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"What if it was just to say, I got into your house, which means I can do it again, maybe even when you're in"

"That's freaky" Gabriella said feeling uncomfortable in her home.

"I think we should call the police" Tami said.

"Yeah, OK, Kelsi call the police, everyone else; look around for other things that could have been stolen" Troy told them.

Chad and Taylor went to the kitchen.

Tami and Ryan went to the dining room.

Kelsi and Jason stayed in the living room.

Troy and Gabriella looked in Gabriella's mother's room.

Sharpay and Zeke looked around Gabriella's room.

"Who would do this?" Gabriella finally asked.

So far in her mum's room they found her jewellery box emptied, her perfume bottles smashed and the pages of various books ripped and scattered around the room.

"I don't know, I really don't" Troy admitted, honestly.

"It can't be anyone from East High and we're friends with West High now-"

"West High" Troy said suddenly.

"You don't think it was all of them? Do you?" Gabriella asked, surprised.

"No, not all of them, just four girls who go by the name of Stacey, Megan, Lindsey and Haley" Troy said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh God, I think you're right" Gabriella said, feeling a bit sick that they had gone through her house doing God knows what.

"Yeah, we don't have the proof." Troy said. "Yet"

"Yet?"

"If they were careless, they would have left finger prints" Troy told her.

"And if they weren't?"

"We'll get it sorted" Troy promised

Gabriella nodded

"Come on, let's go to the others and see what they've come across" Troy said, as he looked around the room with disgust on how people could do something like this.

"I should phone my mum, I haven't yet"

"Alright. You haven't touched anything, have you?"

"No, you?"

"No, I'll go down and make sure the others haven't either"

Gabriella nodded as she reached for her mobile to ring her mum.

"So, first off, you guys haven't touched anything, have you?" Troy asked.

They all shook their heads 'no'

"Good. Chad? You haven't, right?"

"Dude, I've watched way too much CSI to do something like that"

Troy smiled in approval. "Alright, what did you all find?"

"We found Gabriella's room trashed with photos smashed and ripped, one of you and Gabriella singing they wrote on the back-" Sharpay cut herself off showing the picture to Troy, barely touching it and using her jacket.

'_Tone deaf slut'_

Troys hands shook with anger at the words as he shook his head burning a hole through the words with his eyes.

"And we found half of her clothes missing; we don't know where they've put them though" Sharpay told him, remembering the open, virtually empty wardrobe. "Her make-up was used to write on the walls and perfumes were all smashed"

"Same thing with her mums room. Perfume bottles smashed, jewellery box emptied and pages of books had pages torn out of them." Troy told them.

"In the kitchen all the silver is gone. China plates and cups are gone. Pasta and other foods are all over the place, glasses smashed, it's like a bomb went off or something." Chad took a deep breath before saying the next part. "They also left the cooker on with a tea-towel just millimetres away from it."

Everyone's eyes widened, Gabriella had come downstairs by now. They all knew that the people who did this could have burnt Gabriella's house down and right now they wanted nothing more than to see the people who did this put in jail for the longest amount of time they could get.

"Um, in the living room, it seems that your wires connecting to the TV, DVD player, CD player, X-Box, Wii have all been melted or destroyed in some way and not only that, the DVD player, CD player, X-Box and Wii have all been taken" Jason told them. "It was all hidden behind the TV"

Gabriella closed her eyes taking all of this in. She couldn't bear to hear anymore, but knew she had too.

"In the dining room, your main computer has been taken, most of your books have been destroyed and they've done some graffiti on the walls" Tami told them.

"Alright, now we know what they've done, let's see if we can find out some other things" Troy suggested.

They all looked at him.

"Find out some other things, like how they got in. It wasn't by the front door because Gabriella unlocked that. Tami was the back door tampered with?" Troy asked.

"It was left wide open, but it wasn't off its hinges or anything" Tami told him.

"They balcony windows to Gabriella's room were smashed." Zeke told them.

They all headed for Gabriella's room.

"Um, shouldn't the police be doing this?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, but if we do some stuff ourselves at least we'll have more to tell them, so then they can get on with finding out who it was quicker" Taylor told him.

"Alright" Troy suddenly stopped in the middle of Gabriella's room. "I think they got in through this way"

"How do you know?" Ryan asked.

"If they smashed it from the bedroom, the glass would be going out onto the balcony, but it's not, the glass is on the bedroom floor, which means it was done from the outside." Troy told them, observing the room.

"He's right" Tami agreed.

Gabriella suddenly thought of something, she raced towards her wardrobe it was opened, she got down a box, her fingerprints would be on it anyway, and prayed.

"Gabriella?" Troy asked

Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief "They didn't find it" she said

"Didn't find what?" he asked

Gabriella turned around and they all saw it was the book he got her for her birthday last year.

"They didn't get it" she smiled, putting it back in her wardrobe. However, her relief was short-lived.

"Is that blood?" Taylor nearly shrieked.

"Where?" They asked urgently.

"Right there, on the floor" Taylor pointed.

"That's a reflection" Gabriella said.

They all looked up on the ceiling.

"_You have been warned by us S.M.L.H members of the F of L.O.K...Mess with us again; it will be more than your house that gets destroyed"_

"You don't think that really is blood, do you?" Sharpay asked, very scared.

"That's for the police to find out"

"I think it's going to be more than police work now" Gabriella nearly whispered.

They all turned to her.

"Look, they said_ 'It will be more than your house that will get destroyed'"_ Gabriella said, nearly crying. "They're threatening me and my family"

"They won't get away with this" Zeke said.

"They can't!" Chad nearly yelled.

"What do you think S.M.L.H and F of L.O.K stands for?" Ryan asked.

"Well, if it's who Gabriella and I think it is" he started, pulling Gabriella into a hug to comfort her. "Then Stacey, Megan, Lindsey and Haley. _Four of Londons_ something _Knights_" Troy told them.

"Original" Gabriella spoke. "They like to think of themselves as unique and the best. They like to think of themselves as the first for everything. They like to think of themselves as Original"

"Stacey, Megan, Lindsey and Haley. Four of Londons Original Knights." Tami spoke.

"They're going to pay" Troy vowed.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_So, it's a really short chapter, but suspenseful and hopefully you like it all the same :)_

_Thanks for reading!_


	36. Police Work

Troyella

**Chapter 36: Police Work [Edited]**

"So what happened exactly when you came in?"

Troy Bolton was currently being interviewed outside Gabriella's house about the break in.

"Well first it was just a photo missing and they took the batteries out of the clock, letting us know that they broke in while we were doing a concert at P3, so we decided to look around and see if anything else had been stolen, that's when we found the whole place destroyed, well we split up me and Gabriella went to her mums room and that was trashed, when we got to the others it was pretty much the same thing."

Sharpay was also being interviewed by a different police member.

"We think they must have gotten in through Gabriella's balcony, the windows were smashed, but the glass was coming through to the inside and not out, which makes us believe that's how they got in. Also written up on the wall there is some clues as to whom it might be, but we're not sure if it might be blood, we're worried it is, but we just don't know"

Chad was also being interviewed.

"In the kitchen it was just a mess, literally it looked like a bomb went off or something. We found a tea-towel just millimetres away from the stove, which was left on, which could have burnt the entire place down. Also we think they may have gotten out through the kitchen door because it was wide open but nothing seemed to be tampered with."

Gabriella, Ryan, Jason, Kelsi, Taylor and Tami have already had their interviews and were explaining things to their parents.

"Hey, looks like I'm done" Troy said walking over to them.

"Same here" Sharpay said, but Chad was also walking along with her.

"How'd it go?" Gabriella asked.

"Just asked what we saw when we came in and other things about any enemies or something like that" Troy told her.

"Same here and I told them about the writing on the ceiling" Sharpay said.

"And I mentioned the stove being on and the tea-towel and also that it might have been how they got out"

"Oh and I mentioned we think that they got in through Gabriella's balcony" Sharpay added.

"I need to sit down" Ava said, feeling a bit sick.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. If you like you can come and stay with us until the police are done with your place" Lucille offered.

"Oh no, we wouldn't want to intrude. We can go to a Hotel, or I'm sure we have family close to here where we could stay"

"Really Ava, its fine. Gabriella can stay in Troy or Tami's room and you can stay in the spare bedroom" Jack told her.

"Well...are you sure?" Ava asked.

"Yes. But right now we're going to try and take our minds off this, so I'm going to the shops to get as all something to drink while the rest of you get the spare room sorted out. Oh and you can all stay over tonight if you'd like" Lucille told them.

"Are you sure?" Taylor asked for all of them.

"Awesome, thanks Mrs Bolton" Chad beamed.

Taylor rolled her eyes.

"No problem Chad. I'll be back in about 10 maybe 20 minutes" she told them, got in her car and drove off.

"I'll go get the spare room sorted" Jack told them.

"I'll help you" Ava offered following him in.

"Ouch!" Chad yelled in surprise pain. "What was that for?" He said, eyes narrowing in on Taylor.

"You're supposed to be polite and ask if they're sure before going straight in and saying yes" Taylor told him.

"Oh please, politeness is for first introductions" Chad told her.

"Yeah, but dude, you did the same thing the first time you stayed over" Troy reminded him.

"True. But we're brothers, hell when was the last time we actually asked if I could stay over?" Chad asked.

"Must have been when we were 11, 12 maybe" Troy told him, trying to remember.

"Exactly"

"But it's the polite thing to do" Taylor told him.

"You realize that you don't have to, right?" Troy told her.

"It's the right thing to do" Taylor said, standing her ground.

"OK, well while you're being polite, I'm going to go steal Troys food." Chad said, walking into the house.

"Better text your mum and tell her she needs to buy more food" Taylor said in disapproval.

"Nah, she already knows that when she invites Chad to stay over that we need a new stock of food" Troy assured her.

Suddenly he felt his pocket vibrate.

"Whose it from?" Zeke asked.

"Mum" Troy said, smirking.

"What does it say?" Sharpay asked.

'_So how much food needs to be restocked?'_

Troy read.

He texted her back _'He's only just started, but better do the whole thing, if there's some left over we'll just give it to him to take home'_

Inside

"Took you guys long enough" Chad said as they walked through the kitchen door.

Since he had got in he had managed to make popcorn, milkshake, sandwiches, bowl of crisps and he had gotten out a few cans of coke from the fridge.

"So" Troy started, taking a can of coke.

"Dude!" Chad nearly yelled "That's mine"

"Dude!" Troy mimicked "It's mine" he took a sip.

"Everything OK down here? Has Chad managed to save some food for tomorrow?" Jack asked coming down the stairs.

"Mums buying more anyway" Troy told him.

"Alright, that's good"

Troy seemed to be the only one who noticed that Gabriella hadn't spoken since the interviews.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Sharpay asked.

Everyone shrugged.

"Well me and Ava are going outside to wait for your mum if you need us" Jack told them.

"OK, see you" Troy said.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Sharpay squealed.

Everyone suppressed a groan.

"We should have a little kid's party with games like hide and seek and tag and imaginary games and stuff like that!"

They all looked at her like she were crazy, even Chad who was getting something out of the microwave stopped to see if he had heard her correctly.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. And after the night we've had, we need some fun"

Troy sighed "Alright" he agreed, nervously. "What do you want to play?"

"I say we play hide and seek first, I'll count" Sharpay offered and started counting. "1. 2. 3. 4. -"

By now they were all out of the kitchen and running searching for places to hide.

Troy took Gabriella to the loft to hide in there; they put the light on so they could see well.

"Hey" Troy said when he closed the loft.

"Hi" Gabriella replied, in a small voice.

Troy sighed "Come here" he said, opening his arms.

She ran into them with full speed, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Everything will be OK, you know that right?" Troy asked her.

Gabriella said nothing and did nothing.

"Hey, come on." He lifted her chin so he could look at her properly. "I promise you they won't get away with this; I will do everything they can to make sure they get what they deserve"

"I know you will" Gabriella half-smiled.

Troy hugged her tighter.

"It's just, the feeling of not being safe in your own home, the place you're supposed to feel safe and the place you run too if you're feeling scared or paranoid for some reason. I can't bear the thought of going back in there knowing that people were in there without me knowing, it makes me think about what Ryan said, _"If we can break in while you're not here we can do it when you are"_ that scares me" she admitted.

Troy shook his head.

"You will be safe in your home. Those girls are just trying to scare you"

"It's working" she said, defeated.

"Hey, I am just one door away, if you ever feel unsafe or anything call me, don't hesitate, just call and I'll be over in a second. _Literally._"

Gabriella fully smiled at this.

Troy started smiling at seeing her smile.

"Now, how about we start enjoying this _'Kids Night'_ eh?" Troy suggested.

Gabriella laughed and nodded in agreement.

1 hour later.

"Dad, isn't mum home yet?" Troy asked, walking into the back garden with the rest of the gang.

"No not yet. At first I thought she might have just taken longer at the shop and then got stuck in traffic. But now I'm really worried" Jack said, pacing the garden.

"Have you rung her?" Troy asked.

Jack shook his head 'no'

"I'll go ring her, I'll be right back" Troy told them.

"So what do you thinks happened?" Ryan asked.

"There's probably a rational explanation, let's not get paranoid just yet."

"How about now?" Troy asked walking back into the garden.

"What did she say?" Jack asked, urgently.

"She didn't. I got voice-mail" He said in anger.

"Your mum doesn't have voicemail" Jack said, confused.

"Well she does now and I don't think we can expect a call back"

Everyone looked worriedly at each other.

"What did it say?" Gabriella asked, softly.

Troy rung the number again and put the phone on speaker.

Almost immediately a bunch of shrieking laughter came through the phone _"You mess with us, we mess with you. Yeah Bolton, we have your mum, maybe you should have thought twice about getting together with Gabriella...well this is your punishment" _The voice was obviously Stacey, with giggling in the background. _"You won't ever find us, nor will the police, so don't even try. Bye Bolton."_ The message ended with more high-pitched laughter.

"I'm going to kill them" Troy said with venom in his tone.

"Mind if we help?" Sharpay offered for all of them, seeing pure hate in all eyes around her.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Again, this one will be left alone :)_

_Hope you like it, thanks for reading!_


	37. It's Up To Us Now

Troyella

**Chapter 37: It's Up To Us Now [Edited]**

It felt like déjà vu for them all. They had just been with the police and now they were talking to them again about Troys mum.

"So let me get this straight" started one of the policemen "First this young ladies house is trashed by these people who have allegedly kidnapped your mother and the voice mail you all heard is now not here and you're blaming a couple of high school girls?"

"I know it sounds crazy-" Troy started.

"More like unbelievable" another policeman said.

"It's the truth" Sharpay insisted.

"We'll keep looking for your mother, but these girls are staying out of the equation"

"You've got to be kidding me?" Chad said, shocked.

"We'll call when we have more information" he said and walked off.

"What do we do now?" Taylor asked.

"We'll figure that out tomorrow, right now we need sleep" Jack said "It's been a long day; we won't be any good to Lucille with our minds racing and not thinking clearly."

"Dad, you know none of us will get any sleep tonight" Troy pointed out the obvious.

"Then at least rest, tomorrow we'll work out what's going to happen. But from now on, we go nowhere alone."

"Agreed" Troy immediately spoke.

They all nodded.

"Alright, now everyone get some rest"

_In Troys Room_

"These girls are un-freaking'-believable!" Sharpay screeched as she walked through the door.

"We know, but the question is what do we do?" Zeke asked.

"We find Troys mum ourselves, duh!" Sharpay said in an obvious tone.

"How are we going to do that?" Troy sighed, wanting to believe there was a way he could find his mum.

"Well we go to the shop she went too and go from there, maybe they have a security camera or something like that" Taylor suggested.

"And you think they'll hand over a bunch of security tapes to a bunch of teenagers?" Troy asked.

"Do you have a better idea?" Kelsi asked.

Troy shook his head after a couple seconds thinking.

"Then we go with Taylors plan" Jason told him.

"But they're not just going to hand them over to us, that's the problem" Gabriella spoke quietly, agreeing with Troy.

"We'll figure something out" Sharpay said, softly.

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other. They had nothing too loose.

"Alright" Troy agreed "What happens _IF_ we get the security tapes?" he asked.

"Well, we look at the ones inside and see who took your mum, see if they got others to do the dirty work for them" Sharpay said "And then we look at the ones outside the shop to see which direction they went and we'll go from there and if they went in a car-"

"They might have a number plate" Troy finished, feeling better about this plan

"Exactly!"

"Right, so now we know basically what we're going to do when we get the security tapes, how do we even get them?" Gabriella asked, feeling better about the plan too.

"I honestly don't know" Sharpay sighed. "Any ideas guys?"

They all shook their heads dejectedly.

"I might have a plan, but it's a huge long shot, plus breaking quite a few laws, if we get caught we'll be done" Tami said, walking through the door.

"How about a plan that won't land us in jail?" Troy asked.

Tami thought for a moment "Why don't you just tell them the truth?" she suggested.

"He'll ask about the police and shouldn't they be handling it" Jason said.

"Yeah, but the police don't believe us, so it's worth a shot" Tami said.

"True, but it's the only shot we have, are we positive we want to go with the truth?" Troy asked.

They all nodded

"Alright...I guess it's up to us now" He said looking around at all of them, wondering what was else may happen over the next day or so...

_[Edited A/N]:_

_I hate that this chapter is so short!_

_But, it has to be to keep the suspense; I don't want everything happening all at once :)_

_Hope you like it, the next one __should__ be longer_

_Thanks for reading! _


	38. The Search

Troyella

**Chapter 38: The Search [Edited]**

The teens in the Bolton house woke early in the morning to prepare and go over their plan. They knew they only had one shot and plan B hasn't been invented yet, so it needed to work, but nobody knew what the outcome would be and that scared the hell out of them all.

"Are you sure you all want to do this?" Troy asked "I can do it by myself that way if there's any trouble it's me that gets the blame, you guys have nothing to do with it"

"Dude, I'm not going to leave my brother to do something like this alone" Chad said in a mock-offended tone.

Troy laughed, a bit. "Alright, but Taylor, Gabriella what about college and university, I don't want this to be the one thing that stops you from getting in"

"Well if they can't accept that I'm trying to help out a friend, then the college isn't worth going too" Taylor told him.

He looked at Gabriella "No, I'm coming with you, I don't care about college or university right now, all I want is these girls in jail and your mum safe...I'm coming with you"

Troy nodded.

"Troy, you're not going to do this by yourself, you really think we're going to leave you?" Sharpay asked.

"I know you don't want too, but I don't want everyone getting in trouble with this"

"Hey, if you're going down we're all going down with you" Zeke told him.

"Yeah, there for each other 'til the end, remember...that doesn't change no matter what the situation" Kelsi reminded him.

"Yeah and besides I'm not letting my brother do this alone" Tami said walking into the room "Spare us the guilt and focus on the task at hand"

Troy laughed at this and nodded "Alright"

"Oh and I called in reinforcements" Tami warned him.

"Reinforcements?" Troy asked, worriedly.

"Well the best we can get as reinforcements anyway" she shrugged.

"Hey, we are the best" Terry said walking into the room.

"And don't you forget it" Tori said walking in after them.

"Wait? You dropped everything you were doing to come down here and help us?" Troy asked amazed.

"When we found out the police didn't believe you and that you were going to do something about it yourselves we decided we had to help. What kind of siblings would we be if we sat back and did nothing" Terry told him.

"Besides she's our mum too" Tori added.

Troy nodded.

"So, what's the plan?" Terry asked.

They spent about 10 minutes or so going over the plan, making sure they didn't miss a single detail.

"You're going for the truth?" Terry asked.

"Do you have a better idea?" Troy asked.

Terry got an evil smile on his face.

"One that won't get us in trouble with the law" Gabriella added.

His smile immediately faded.

Troy rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a no"

"He may not have a better idea, but I do" Tori stepped in.

"Alright, let's hear it" Troy encouraged.

"Well, I wasn't going to say this until I found the right time, but now seems as good as time as any" she started "You remember I was going in to the police industry?" Tori asked him.

Troy nodded.

"Well I passed my test, so I am officially a policewoman" She told them.

"Oh wow! Congratulations!" Troy got up and immediately hugged her.

She giggled when he, Tami and Terry let her go "Thanks, but considering I am one we could use it to our advantage" she suggested.

"Are you allowed?" Troy asked.

"Well if I think it's something worth investigating, then yes" she nodded.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Terry asked. "It's not like abusing your power or anything, right?"

"A woman is missing and we're trying to figure out what happened that's all...I'll go in the shop and ask for the tapes you don't go anywhere near the shop but look around the area for anything else you can find that might be a clue to what happened" Tori told them

They all nodded in agreement, liking this plan.

"So I hear that you're going to try and rescue mum" Jack said as he saw everyone walking down the stairs

"How did you find out?" Troy asked.

"Please it doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on when I walk past the door and hear words like trouble, police and law"

Troy saw this as a fair judgement.

"Anything I can do to help?" Jack asked.

Everyone could see he was trying to act as if everything was OK, they knew he was doing it so his children wouldn't be so worried. But you could tell just from his eyes that he was worried sick and that it had affected his night's sleep.

Everyone looked at each other.

"Well, dad" Tori started "I've passed everything I need to pass to become a policewoman, so we're using it to our advantage, these guys are going to split and take each way that they could have gone and look for clues"

"You passed?" Jack asked, as if that was the only part of the conversation he had been listening too.

Tori smiled a bit "Yes dad I passed"

"Congratulations" he said, going over to hug his daughter, immensely proud of her at that moment.

"Thanks dad" she said.

"Aren't you guys afraid of getting in trouble?" Jack sighed.

"I've been through this, Dad. They all want to do it" he told him.

"Ava?"

Ava sighed. "I'm worried, yes. But I know if I were in the same position I wouldn't listen to what my mother would say and just do it anyway. So just be careful, alright?"

They all nodded.

"And if you don't find anything by 11pm come back, you don't want anyone getting suspicious" Jack told them.

"Will do Dad, bye!" they called walking out the door.

"You think they'll be alright?" Jack asked.

"They're smart kids, I'm sure if something happens they'll have the sense to get out of the situation before it develops" she told him.

He nodded in silent agreement and hope.

_Around the corner from the shop_

"Alright, the plan is pretty simple. You all know who you're partnering up with to look, there are three roads" Tori told them.

"Me and Gabriella are going this way" Troy said pointing down the left side of the road.

"Me, Terry, Chad and Sharpay are going down the middle" Kelsi told her

"Me, Jason and Ryan are going down the left side" Taylor informed her.

"Alright, good. Now it shouldn't take me long to get the tape so when I get it I'll join Taylor and you two and we meet here in about an hour, sound good?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's get this started."

As Tori walked into the shop everyone started going their separate ways.

"Hello my name is Tori Bolton, member of the police force, I would like to see the security tapes from last night please" she spoke formally, showing her badge.

"What do you need those for?" The shop keeper asked.

"It's an on-going investigation I'm not at liberty to say. But the tapes from this shop might be able to help us with the investigation" Tori explained.

"Alright, what time do you need?" He asked.

"Let's just say from about 10pm-12am OK?" She asked.

"Yeah that's fine, they're right here" he said, handing them over.

"Thank you for your co-operation" she said and walked out of the shop proud of herself.

As she walked to the roads she looked down the left and wondered what Troy and Gabriella were doing.

"You've been really quiet, are you OK?" Troy asked.

"Hm. Yeah I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Because you've been really quiet" he repeated.

"Oh"

"Alright, sit" he ordered as he sat himself and his girlfriend on a bench.

"We should be looking for clues" Gabriella reminded him.

"We haven't come across any so far, besides I want to know what's wrong with my girlfriend" he told her.

"Really, it's nothing." Gabriella told him. "Your mum is first priority right now"

"That may be so, but that doesn't mean to say I have to stop caring about others around me, especially my girlfriend, who I love and is not leaving this bench until she tells me what's wrong"

Gabriella giggled, Troy smiled at the sound.

She suddenly stopped and looked at him. "You don't realize it?" She asked.

"Realize what?" he asked, confused.

"The reason they took your mum is because of me" she said, quietly.

"What, how could you even think that? There is no way you are responsible for this" Troy told her, pulling her into him.

"Did you not listen to that message they left?" she asked.

"Yes I did. Do you really think I should care?" he asked back.

"Well, she is your mum"

"Yes and I love my mum, you know I do. But nothing they say is going to change the way I feel about you. As far as I'm concerned the blame and fault goes to the girls. It has nothing to do with you. You have nothing to worry about. You are not going to carry the blame for this. Do you understand me?"

Gabriella nodded, hesitantly.

Troy playfully glared at her "I want a definite nod so you know that there is no way that this is your fault"

"I can't help it Troy. If I hadn't known them girls you wouldn't be in this mess. Your mum would be happy with you at home. Same if we had never met, not that I wouldn't want us to ever meet because there is no way I would ever not want to meet..."

Troy listened closely as she rambled on.

"But your mum would be safe" she finished.

"Gabriella look at me" he said softly.

Gabriella still had her eyes closed looking down at the floor.

Troy sighed. He lifted her chin up and kissed her softly. "You are not to blame. OK? There is no way that this is your fault. I know it and everyone else knows it. If we had never met I don't even want to think about what my life would have been like without you, it is unimaginable and I wouldn't want to imagine it because since you've been with me it's been the best time of my life. And I wouldn't go back and change us not meeting, ever! This isn't your fault, don't let them four psychopaths make you think otherwise" he told her, kissing her at regular intervals.

Gabriella was close to tears, but happy tears. She couldn't remember the last time she and Troy had done this. Just sit and talk, just the two of them. Yes it was a subject that would have been preferred if topic didn't happen, but it was nice just being alone with each other.

"Are you feeling better now?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. It made her feel better getting it off her chest and being told that it wasn't her fault.

Troy smiled "Good, now let's get back to searching or the rest of the gang will have our heads" he joked.

Gabriella laughed, they continued walking for a while until they spotted something.

"Hey Troy?"

"Mm?"

"Isn't that your mums' jacket?" Gabriella asked, noticing a coat up in a tree.

Troys mind flashbacked to when he saw his mum putting the coat on before she left.

"Yeah that's hers" he said and they both went running over to it.

"How did it get up here?" Gabriella asked when they were over at the tree.

"I don't know. Do you think I should climb up and get it?" Troy asked.

"Call Tori and ask her" Gabriella told him, honestly not sure what to tell him.

Troy nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Hey Troy, found anything?"

"Yeah, we found mums coat up in a tree but we're not sure if we should get it down or not" Troy told his sister.

"No, we'll call the police anonymously and tell them and they should check it out" Tori told him.

"OK, thanks sis, bye"

"Bye"

"What was that about?" Taylor asked

"Troy and Gabriella found our mums coat up in a tree, they didn't know whether to get it down or not" Tori explained.

"Which means they went that way?" Jason asked.

"Yeah that's true, should we go meet up with them?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah I think we should. Call Chad or Sharpay and tell them to meet us there as well." Taylor said.

"Hey Ryan, what's up?" Sharpay asked.

"Hey, well Troy and Gabriella found Troys mums coat in a tree so we're guessing that that's the direction they went" Ryan told his sister.

"Really?"

"Yeah why?" Ryan asked, confused.

"Well we found her jewellery scattered along this road. We know it's hers because we remember her showing us girls some of it once" Sharpay told them

"You think they're trying to trick us?" Ryan asked.

"Most likely" Sharpay sighed.

"You haven't picked up any of the jewellery have you?" Ryan asked.

"No we left it how it was not wanting to risk anything" Sharpay told her brother.

"Good because we're going to call the police and give them an anonymous tip"

"Alright, so should we get back to where we started?" Sharpay asked.

Ryan paused for a minute as if explaining the situation to everyone else.

"Yeah that sounds good, think you can phone Troy and Gabriella and tell them to come back as well?"

"Yeah sure, why can't you guys do it?" Sharpay asked, but it was too late, Ryan had hung up.

"Fine, hang up on your only sister. Scratch that only _twin_ sister" she mumbled to herself.

"What was that about?" Chad asked.

"Well apparently Troy and Gabriella found Mrs. Bolton's coat so they thought that they might have gone that way but I told them about what we found and we think they're trying to trick us" Sharpay explained.

"Oh great, so what's happening now?" Kelsi asked.

"We're going to meet them all back where we started off and go home. I think Tori has the tapes" Sharpay said.

"Alright and what were you grumbling about the only twin sister or something?" Terry asked.

"Oh, I have to call Troy and Gabriella and tell them to meet us where we started" Sharpay told them, trying to find her phone as she put it back in her bag forgetting she had to phone them.

"Don't worry about it, I'll phone them" Terry offered.

"You sure?" Sharpay asked.

"Yeah it's fine" he assured her getting his phone out.

"Hey Terry what's up?" Troys voice came through the receiver.

"Well we found out that you guys found mums coat."

"Wow, news travels fast"

"But we think that they're trying to throw us off because we found mums jewellery scattered along this road" Terry told his brother.

"Ah man that sucks" Troy said.

"Yeah, so we're hoping Tori got the camera footage because that's the best we've got at the moment"

"Yeah, so what's going on now?" Troy asked.

"Well we're all going to meet back where we started"

"Alright, see you in a few" Troy said and hung up.

"So what was that about?" Gabriella asked.

"Turns out the girls were just trying to throw us off. Terry's group found my mum's jewellery scattered along the middle road" Troy explained.

"Great"

"Yeah, so we're going to meet back where we started and go from there" Troy told her.

Gabriella nodded in understanding.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_The longest chapter for a while :), hopefully you all like it _

_Thanks for reading!_


	39. Lost and Found

Troyella

**Chapter 39: Lost and Found [Edited]**

Everyone in the Bolton house had just finished watching the security tape which showed the Bolton kids mother being dragged out of the shop, gagged so she couldn't make any noise and her hands restrained so she couldn't get away. It also showed that when they got out of the shop they went left, but took belongings off Lucille and scattering them around.

"Why would they do this?" Sharpay asked quietly "What mind in the universe would people think this was funny?"

"A screwed up twisted one" Zeke replied.

They all had their eyes glued to the screen even though the tape had been turned off.

"What do we do?" Chad asked.

"We find her" Tami put simply.

"We can't get her out ourselves though" Taylor started "We have to phone the police"

"They won't believe us" Ryan sighed.

"We'll leave an anonymous tip" Troy told them "We'll say that there's something going on, wherever mum is"

"And when they ask for our names?" Jason asked

"We hang up" he shrugged.

"Why can't we go with Tori again?" Sharpay asked "No offence or anything" she added.

"No problem however, I can't get involved any further" Tori told her. "Well at least not police-wise"

"Why not?" Kelsi asked, curiously.

"Its family" She put simply. "We can't get involved in family matters, other people have to do it because we're emotionally involved."

"So we go with this plan?" Terry asked.

"Sounds like our best bet" Tami agreed.

"Alright, now all we have to do is figure out where she was taken" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded in agreement.

"Does anyone have any idea where they would go?" Jack asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"If we were in London, I'd say yes, but here? I don't know" Ava sighed.

"What kind of place was it before?" Troy asked.

"Like a warehouse, one that hadn't been used in a long time. Dirty, hidden from view and no signal"

"Does anyone know a place like that here?" Gabriella asked.

They all shook their heads.

"Wait, maybe someone else will know" Troy said, an idea forming in his head.

"Who?" Chad asked.

"West High, maybe there have been rumours in the past or something"

"Yeah, they liked to spread rumours about themselves, which were always true" Gabriella agreed.

"What's the point in that?" Tami asked, thinking it was utterly ridiculous.

"They like to be the centre of attention" Sharpay answered.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Gabriella asked

"It's what celebrities do, so they can get coverage in the newspaper to be the centre of attention"

"So, when are we going to meet up with the guys from West?" Tori asked

"I'll phone them now" Troy said, his phone already to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Troy"

"Hey Troy, what's up?"

"Listen, could you meet us somewhere, it's important" Troy said, worry evident in his tone.

"Yeah, course man, what's up?"

"I'll explain later. Meet me at P3, alright?"

"Alright man, see you then"

"Bye"

Troy turned to face everyone "Let's go" he said simply, turned, got his jacket and headed for the door. Everyone followed his lead.

Right now Troy and Gabriella are driving in Troy's car. The others went in their own cars, Ava with Jack.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Shouldn't it be me asking you this?" Gabriella enquired.

Troy laughed a bit "That may be so, but after earlier, you feeling better?"

Gabriella nodded "Yeah, much. Thanks"

"Good" Troy smiled "I'm glad"

"What about you? How're you holding up?" Gabriella asked.

"As well as I can" Troy told her. "I can tell my dad's not going to last much longer, trying to be the strong one. I just, I need to know she's OK."

"They won't do anything to permanently damage her, I swear"

"Sounds like you've been through this before"

"Once or twice" she admitted.

"Must bring up bad memories" Troy said, softly.

"A few, but histories not repeating itself"

Troy looked confused "What do you mean?"

"When I went through it, I didn't have anyone to help me. No one would even try. I think it's going to be easier to find your mum. I hope so anyway"

"Thanks." Troy smiled slightly.

Finally they arrived at P3, when they exited their cars they found the guys from West already there.

"Hey, so what's going on?" Chris asked

"Alright, basically some students from West High have...kidnapped my mum, and we don't know where they're hiding her. The police won't help and we're basically at a dead end. So we're wondering if you could somehow help us" Troy summed the situation up.

"Yeah, 'course man. Um, how did they get your mum? I mean a full grown woman up against a few high school kids? Sorry it just seems strange"

"They have ways." Gabriella answered. "It's the amount of power they possess. Also they're high school kids. Adults aren't allowed to lay a hand on them, even if defending themselves anymore"

"Yeah I guess that's true" Jordan sighed.

"So, who is it?" Violet asked.

"Stacey, Megan, Lindsey and Haley" Troy told them.

"Ah. They're a group you don't want to mess with" Holly stated.

"Yeah, we learnt the hard way" Ryan told them.

"Do you have any idea where they would have taken Lucille?" Jack asked, worry evident in his eyes.

"We don't know the address of the location" Lucy told them "But we can take you there"

"How can you know where it is but not the name" Ava asked for all of them, who were slightly confused.

"Let's just say you guys aren't the only ones who learnt the hard way" Max told them.

They all nodded in understanding.

"Follow us" James said.

So they all got back in their cars, desperately hoping that this is the place where Lucille would be. If so, they would know what to do.

The West High group lead them far into the woods, they kept driving to what it seems like was the centre, and got out.

"We can't keep driving. We're on foot from here onwards."

"How come?" Chad asked

"' 'Cause they might be able to hear the cars, especially the amount we have." Maria explained.

They went deeper into the woods until they came to a little cabin.

"How did you remember the way?" Troy asked

"It's not something you want to remember, you don't even want to go back. But we knew we should just in case it happened to anyone else" Chris told them.

"I know you guys weren't friends back then, and it obviously wasn't for us you did it. But thanks" Jack said.

"Even if we weren't friends we still would have helped" Jordan told them. "We know what it feels like, and swore we wouldn't let anyone else know that feeling of, well, worry and unknowing" Jordan told them.

"So this is where she is?" Chad asked.

"I think so, obviously we have to make sure" Chris told them.

They nodded once again. "I'll go" Troy told them.

"No way bro, too risky. You're too tall; if they're looking in this direction they'll catch you"

"Then who?"

"Someone smaller in size"

All eyes averted to Kelsi.

"No way!" Troy hissed "I'm not going to put her in that kind of danger. What if they have done something to my mum? She is not going to go through the same thing"

"Troy, if it means I can help then I'll do it. We need to know, and this might be the only way"

Troy looked to Gabriella, his eyes showing he needed to know what to do

"It's up to Kelsi, not anyone else" Gabriella said. She knew Troy didn't want her to go, but it wasn't any of their decision, just Kelsi.

Troy knew Gabriella was right. He hated it, he wanted another way. But they all knew there wasn't one.

"If you sense any danger or anyone sees you, you run. Understand?" Jason told her.

"I'll be fine" She smiled, and headed towards the window of the cabin.

He nodded.

They hid behind a bush which they could see if everything was going OK

They saw Kelsi creep up to the window; she poked her head upwards turned and slowly went back to the others, as to not alert the girls. Signalling to the others to call the police"

It was around 9pm and the East gang and West gang were witnessing Megan, Stacey, Lindsey and Haley getting arrested. After about 5 minutes they saw Lucille coming out of the cabin. Pretty bruised, but aside from that it appears she was fine.

Everyone smiled at the sight that she was able to walk and more than that, she was breathing.

"Mum" Troy called

She turned to see everyone awaiting her return, Tami was the first to run up and hug her, everyone followed.

"So, the police say that you did the police work for this case"

"You could say that" Troy laughed, lightly.

"Thank you. And thank you" She directed the last at West "I know you helped with this. Thank you so much"

"We were happy to help" Chris told her.

"Are you alright, mum?" Terry asked

Lucille nodded "I'm fine. So happy to be with you guys again"

"Let's get you home" Jack said.

"You don't need to go to hospital or anything?" Holly asked

Lucille shook her head "No, really I'm fine. I just need to be home again"

"Come on" Ava said. "I'll cook tonight" she joked

Lucille laughed "You'd better" she smiled.

"Thank you guys, so much" Troy turned to West

"Really, it was no trouble" Violet told them

"Yeah, but we'd better be going now" Lucy said.

"Yeah, same for us, call anytime you want to meet up" Chad told them.

"Same to you" James replied.

After the events of the past few days the gang all went back to their homes to get a full rest.

Gabriella was at Troys house considering her house was still in a state where they could not live there.

"You OK?" Troy asked, noticing she was a bit quiet.

"Yeah I'm fine" she smiled "I'm just so happy your mums OK"

"Yeah same here. And Megan, Stacey, Lindsey and Haley got what they finally deserved"

"Yeah, that was awesome to see"

Troy laughed

Gabriella yawned. She shuddered afterwards as if trying to shake away the feeling.

Troy smiled at this "You tired?"

Gabriella huffed and nodded.

"Go to sleep, you never know what tomorrows going to bring"

"Hopefully not more drama" she said, while yawning again.

"No, no more drama at least not for now. It's been a bit too much over the last few days"

Gabriella nodded with her eyes closed "I couldn't agree more.

"Goodnight. I love you" Troy whispered

"I love you too"

_[Edited A/N]:_

_All is well that ends well ... or something along those lines anyway._

_Not the end of the story!_

_Hope you like it :) Thanks for reading!_


	40. Redecoration

Troyella

**Chapter 40: Redecoration [Edited]**

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Groans filled the Bolton house currently very annoyed at who decided to rudely wake them at 5am.

"Can I help you?" Troy answered the door.

"We just thought you'd like to know that we're finished with Miss Montez's house now."

"At 5 in the morning?" Troy asked, slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but if we didn't tell you now then we would have forgotten, busy time you know?"

Troy nodded "Yeah thanks for telling us" Troy said as politely as possible, considering the ungodly hour wake-up call.

"You're welcome. Stay out of trouble now" the officer said, way to perkily

Troy winced "Will do"

"5a-frikkin'-m" Troy grumbled on his way back to bed.

"Who was that?" Gabriella asked, tiredly.

"Police, your house is ready to move back into" He told her, climbing back into bed, wrapping his arms around her.

"Well that's great, but why so early?"

"They were afraid they would forget to tell us later" Troy told her, already falling back into the depths of his warm pillows and comforting dreams.

"Hey Troy?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you be able to help me redecorate everything? I mean my mum's on a business trip tomorrow, and I know your parents are really busy with work stuff tomorrow-"

"Gabriella, of course I'll help, there's no need to even ask, but I'm going to need all my strength tomorrow, so please go back to sleep" Troy pleaded

Gabriella giggled "Thank you"

Troy murmured something that sounded like a_ 'no problem' _but she couldn't be sure. But decided it didn't matter and got back to sleep within a matter of minutes.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Troy groaned and looked at his clock "6am?" he asked his parents exhausted.

"Sorry, but we're going now. Miss Montez is also leaving" Jack told his son

"Okay, bye" Troy said, waving them off. Gabriella, also awake, just giggled at Troys actions.

"What time did you two go to bed last night?" Jack asked in amusement

"We went to sleep around 1am, the police came to the door at 5am and now we're being woken at 6am" Gabriella told Jack.

"A-ha. Well son you have to get up soon, and not a ridiculous time, like 1pm"

"Mmhm" Troy answered, not really taking much notice.

"Bye you two" Jack bid before closing the door.

"So, what time do you want to wake up then?" Gabriella asked

"Not now, that's for sure. A few hours maybe" he told her, pulling her closer to him.

She sighed contently "Fine by me" she agreed.

"_Oh come on!"_ Troy jumped up as he heard the doorbell ringing.

"What time is it?" Gabriella asked

"8am" Troy told her, rather annoyed.

"Who could it be?" She yawned.

"Someone who has a death wish?" he replied, smiling fake innocently.

Gabriella laughed. An annoyed sleep deprived Troy, to her, was apparently a funny Troy.

"You know we haven't even gotten to mid-morning yet and you seem to have been laughing at me quite a bit"

"Well maybe you're especially funny today"

"My being annoyed is funny to you?" he pouted.

"Aw no, not all the time, just today when everything seems to be going ever so wrong." she smiled.

"You're lucky I love you"

"I know" she smiled sweetly.

"_Guys! Can you please hurry up and answer this door!" _Terry yelled through the letter-box

Troy rolled his eyes and ran downstairs to get the door.

"Do you not have a key anymore?" Troy asked

"Of course" Terry replied

"Ah. So you decided to wake me up instead of using it" Troy glared, playfully.

"Now that's an idea! But no not this time little brother. This time I've just left my good old key at home"

"Why don't you stick it on your key-ring?"

"I forgot that too" he shrugged

"So how do you plan on getting back in your house?"

"Spare key under the flower pot" he replied smugly.

By now they were in the kitchen.

"And how did you get here?"

"Train"

"Why did you take the train?"

"Because I didn't have the keys to my car"

"So why didn't you use the spare key to get back inside your house, drive here, come in without waking anyone up and then everyone would be happy"

"Dude, it's just a key. Get over it"

"Yeah, because that was my main point"

"What was that?" Terry asked, with a mouthful of cereal in his mouth.

"Nothing man. Forget it"

Terry shrugged and carried on eating.

"Hey, I'm going upstairs. I'll be right back"

"Ok" Terry waved him off.

Troy opened his bedroom door to find Gabriella sitting up on the pillows, surprised thinking she would have gone back to sleep.

"Hey, why aren't you sleeping?"

Gabriella shrugged "Feels weird sleeping in your bed without you actually being here I guess." She laughed.

Troy rolled his eyes and climbed onto the bed.

"Well unfortunately thanks to my brother and our oh so interesting discussion of keys I am wide awake now" he said, putting his arms around her.

"Well that's good because I think I am too"

"Good. So do you want some breakfast before Terry steals all the cereal?"

"Didn't he have breakfast at his place?"

"I thought it was safer not to ask"

Gabriella nodded "Well then yes I would love some"

"Excellent. After we can go and redecorate your house" Troy promised

Gabriella smiled, at the fact he remembered even though he was so tired when she asked him, and nodded.

"Hi Terry" Gabriella greeted cheerily.

"Hey Gabriella, good morning?" he asked

"Could've been better" Troy answered

"What? I've ruined it because I've shown up? Well sorry for thinking my family might like to see me" Terry acted dramatically.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just annoyed because the police woke us up at 5am, mum and dad at 6am and you at 8am"

"Ah, so not a good night sleep?"

"Not exactly" Gabriella told him.

"Don't worry about it. Tonight will be better" Terry smiled

Troy looked at him "I'm disconnecting the phones" Troy said, and went to do just that.

It was now 12pm and Troy and Gabriella have now redecorated the kitchen and the dining room

"Wow, this is hard work" Gabriella sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll get it done. Then it can be a nice surprise for your mum when she gets back.

Gabriella smiled "I like that idea"

"And now we have motivation"

"Very true"

Troy was in a much better mood once he got out of his house and into Gabriella's. He didn't know why.

"We still have the living room and the bedrooms to do"

"See, only 3 more rooms. We'll get it done."

"And the hallways"

"Hey, when does your mum get back from her business trip?"

"Tomorrow around 7pm"

"So we have until then to get it all done, we can do it. And besides if we need help we can call the rest of the gang. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"True. But can we take a break for some lunch or something?"

"'Of Course, what do you have here?"

"Um, nothing since the police have been here, I think they took everything out that wasn't needed in their investigation or as evidence or something. I don't know"

"Well, how about we go and do some shopping then?"

"You'd go food shopping? But you hate food shopping"

"Yes, but I'm not about to let you starve am I?"

"Well no, bu-"

Troy put his hand over her mouth.

"Let's go" he told her, smiling.

She huffed playfully and they walked out the door, hand-in-hand.

"Do you want to take the car or do you want to walk?" Troy asked her.

"Um, I don't mind, it's up to you"

"If it was up to me I wouldn't have asked" he pointed out.

"Hmm" she thought "Ok, car" she smiled.

"Such a hard choice" he teased opening the door for her.

She giggled "Thank you" she said getting in. "And it is a hard decision because it's a beautiful day which means walking would have been good. But that means we would have had to walk back with all the bags which would have been a pain" she explained.

"Very well thought out" he smiled at her decision.

"Thank you"

"You know though, we could have it both ways. Minus the walking"

She looked at him confused.

He smiled and flipped some sort of switch.

"_What the-"_ Gabriella shrieked as her surroundings came down and left her in the open air. "I didn't know this was a convertible"

Troy laughed "No one really does. I don't have the roof down often"

"Why not?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shrugged "Depends on how I'm feeling I guess, and I usually forget about it"

She laughed "Alright then. Well thank you" she smiled

"For what?" He asked.

"Well now I can look around and have the sun and everything and we don't have to walk back with all the bags" she smiled "You said it first" she pointed out.

"So I did" he agreed and started to drive away.

"Do you have any CDs in here?" Gabriella asked, they were driving slowly considering there was no traffic so she didn't have to shout.

"Um, yeah in that little thing in front of you and beside you" Troy told her.

"What do you have, you're whole collection in here?" She asked.

"Nah they're just ones that I burned off. The proper ones are in my room"

"I've never seen them" she said, mindlessly looking through them all.

"They're in a box in my wardrobe; listen to them whenever I can. Not much time lately with everything we've all had to do"

"True, so you put them in there to create more space?"

"That and the fact that they were a distraction"

"You have a wide music range. I swear it's gotten bigger since we first told each other what we were into"

"I think it has" he laughed "Didn't think much of it really."

"Who is Skillet?" Gabriella asked

"Skillet's awesome. Listen to either Whispers in the Dark or Better than Drugs" he told her

"Okay" she said "What number is 'Whispers in the Dark'?"

"Um, 7, I think"

"_Despite the lies that you're makin'  
Your love is mine for the takin'  
My love is  
Just waitin'  
To turn your tears to roses_

_Despite the lies that you're makin'  
Your love is mine for the takin'  
My love is  
Just waitin'  
To turn your tears to roses_

_I'll be the one that's gonna hold you  
I'll be the one that you run to  
My love is  
A burnin'  
Consuming fire_

(Troy decides to start singing along with it)

_No! You'll never be Alone!  
When darkness comes  
I'll light the night with stars  
Hear my whispers in the dark_

_No! You'll never be Alone!  
When darkness comes  
You know I'm never far  
Hear my whispers in the dark_

_Whispers in the Dark_

_You feel so lonely and ragged  
You lay here broken and naked  
My love is  
Just waitin'  
To clothe you in crimson roses_

_I'll be the one that's gonna find you  
I'll be the one that's gonna guide you  
My love is  
A burnin'  
Consuming fire_

Gabriella started singing along with the chorus and humming along with the song.

_No! You'll never be Alone!  
When darkness comes  
I'll light the night with stars  
Hear my whispers in the dark_

_No! You'll never be Alone!  
When darkness comes  
You know I'm never far  
Hear my whispers in the dark_

_Instrumental_

_No! You'll never be Alone!  
When darkness comes  
I'll light the night with stars  
Hear my whispers in the dark_

_No! You'll never be Alone!  
When darkness comes  
You know I'm never far  
Hear my whispers in the dark_

_Whispers in the Dark_

_Whispers in the Dark_

_Whispers in the Dark_

Now they were at the supermarket.

"I like that song" Gabriella smiled

"Told you Skillet were awesome, Better then Drugs is a really good song too"

"I'll listen to it later"

"Good" he smiled

Gabriella rolled her eyes "Come on" she said, dragging him into the shop.

"So, what do you need?" Troy asked

"Well let's start from here and work our way round. Didn't really think to make a list"

"No, with lists you realize you've forgotten something. Without a list you get what you need and if you don't have something you don't realize which means you never really needed it"

"Until there comes a time where you will need it"

"Well then you can go out to get that especially"

"You're way of thinking is beyond my understanding"

Troy laughed "Well you might want to get used to it"

"Yeah, will do" she smiled.

"Now let's see, over here we have the bread and eggs" Troy presented to Gabriella. "Which would you prefer of each?"

Gabriella giggled "Um, I have to think what my mum usually gets now.'Hovis Best of Both' bread and no eggs she said and went to get it.

However, before she could Troy already had the bread in his hand

"Well I should've seen that coming"

"Yes you should have"

"I can get it myself you know" she said, smiling innocently.

"Mm, I know you can. But you don't have to. That's why I'm here"

"No, you're here to keep me company and help me decide and entertain me" she said flailing her arms around, which Troy grabbed to keep steady.

"You use your arms a lot when you talk"

"Yeah I know" she admitted huffing. "It's annoying. I nearly hit this woman in the face with a bottle when I was talking to someone once" Gabriella told him "It's not funny and no I didn't hit her I pulled my arm back before I could" she pouted.

"Nice reflexes"

"Thank you"

"So, why do you use your arms a lot? I mean I've noticed it before, but never really questioned it" Troy asked, throwing stuff randomly into the trolley, what he's seen at Gabriella's house anyway, while she was watching pushing it along.

"I don't know really. I guess it's a habit. I've always done it"

"Gotten you into any trouble?" He asked, smiling

"Very funny, no, not yet anyway. My friends from my old school talk about it a lot. Well when I did it too much anyway"

"Do you still keep in contact with your old friends?" Troy asked curiously.

"Some of them, not as much as I'd like to of course, but there's the occasional e-mail."

"That's pretty cool. How you can still keep in contact"

"Yeah I guess. Like I said I'd like to keep in contact a lot more than I do. But I have amazing friends here now too"

"Doesn't mean you have to lose touch with your old ones"

"True. Very true"

Troy was scanning the shop when he spotted some spray cream and a very evil plan started forming in his mind.

"Hey, I'm just going to see if they have a toilet in here, ok?"

"Wow, you really don't come in here a lot. Right down the end of the shop to the left" She directed

Troy laughed "Thank you"

Gabriella smiled, completely unaware of the scheme in his head.

He started to head the direction Gabriella told him to go, but when she turned he quickly turned

He got the spray cream and paid for it quickly.

He couldn't be too long that Gabriella was wondering where he was. This had to go perfectly according to plan.

She'd kill him. But later forgive him. And besides he knew she'd have a laugh as well. Which made it all the more fun.

Once he paid he went around looking for his waiting but oblivious girlfriend.

"Hey, how'd you find me?" Gabriella asked, making him jump a bit because he didn't realize she was behind him.

"Lucky guess I guess" he smiled.

"So I think I've pretty much got everything. Is there anything that you need?"

"Um, no I think I've pretty much got everything"

She looked at him strangely.

"At home, we don't need anything" he covered.

She nodded "Cereal?"

Troy laughed "Nah, I think he left some. Besides I think mums and dad are going shopping today"

Since what happened with Lucille they decided that Jack would be there with Lucille to make sure nothing goes wrong. Lucille doesn't like it, but knows how worried her husband was about her, so decided to let him be a bit protective over her if it made him feel better.

"Ok, that's cool. Let's pay then"

Troy nodded in agreement

They were in the parking-lot and this is where Troy's plan begins. They put all the shopping in the back of the car; Gabriella was just about to get in.

"Hey Gabriella"

"Mm?" she turned and felt soft but a sticky texture cover her face.

"Troy?"

"Yeah?" he asked as innocently as possible, considering he wanted to laugh so hard now.

"What is that?"

"Mm, guess"

Gabriella wiped her eyes and tried to get most of the substance off her face; she opened her eyes and saw the container in Troy's hand.

Her eyes went from his to the bottle wondering whether to go for him or the bottle.

He could see her trying to make the decision and waited while she debated.

Apparently she decided bottle, but before she could grab it Troy moved it out of her reach.

"Troy Alexander Bolton! Give. Me. That. Bottle" she said slowly and threateningly.

"Or what?" he asked, teasingly.

This time she lunged for him, which didn't really work out when he decided to catch her and pick her up do no damage could be done to himself.

"Put me down" she pouted

"Nah I'm good"

She glared "Troy"

"Gabriella" he replied evenly.

She started to thrash about trying to get out of his grip. When she realized this would not be the case she stopped and pouted while huffing, as if imitating a 5 year old.

"Aw" Troy teased at her actions.

Gabriella's eyes narrowed. Troy was now leaning against the back of his car still holding the bottle and still with a tight grip on his girlfriend.

All of a sudden the both heard an almighty_ shriek_ making them both jump.

"What the hell was that?" Troy asked.

"_Gabriella Montez what on Earth do you think you're doing?"_

"Oh no"

"Who's that?" Troy asked

"My grandparents"

"Ah" Troy said, finally putting her down

"Troy I have cream all over my face"

"Ok, you get cleaned up while I talk to them"

"They'll murder you"

"Ah well I'll survive" he said, giving her some tissue so she could wipe her face before confronting her grandparents.

"What are you going to say?" She asked

"I don't know" he shrugged and walked over to where her grandparents were walking furiously towards them.

"Hi, you must be Gabriella's grandparents" Troy said holding out his hand

"Um yes. And who might you be?" Her grandfather asked, without taking his hand.

"I'm Troy"

"And how might you know our Gabriella" the grandmother asked

"Well we go to the same school, we met New Years"

"How did you meet?"

"We were chosen to sing karaoke together" Troy told them, calmly.

"And what are you to Gabriella?"

"Excuse me?" Troy asked, not really understanding what they meant.

"Are you a friend, a good friend, what?" they both looked closely at him.

Troy knew what it was like to have grandparents like this. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, which is why he was glad when he heard Gabriella's voice chime in.

"Hi Grandma, hi Granddad."

"Hello Gabriella, now I'm sorry that there's no sweet greet today but what exactly were you doing in this boys arms" her grandmother, Margaret asked. Looking at Troy as if he were something vulgar and didn't belong.

"We were just messing around."

"Mmhm, and what is he to you exactly? Is he a friend, good friend? Or someone you wish not to have around you" Her granddad, Bruce asked.

"Granddad! No! He's my boyfriend"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"My boyfriend Grandma"

"But you're too young"

"Now you sound like dad"

"Well your father, my son, is a very wise man" Bruce told her.

"I know, but he has also had to learn to live with it"

"And why is that?" Margaret asked.

"Because I love him" she told them as if it were obvious.

"You think you love him" Bruce told her, pointing his finger at her.

"Excuse me"

"Um, can I say something here?"

They all stared at him waiting for him to speak.

"Mr and Mrs Montez I know it must be a shock to find out your granddaughter has a boyfriend and you haven't even had the chance to approve of him yet-"

"What makes you think that we want to approve of you?" Margaret asked, although she knew that was sort of a problem.

"My grandparents reacted in pretty much the same way when they found out I had a girlfriend." He answered "But you should know that I really do love your granddaughter and would do anything for her. I wouldn't hurt her or let anyone else hurt her."

"I'd like to invite you over for dinner, get to know you better" Margaret decided

"Name the date"

"Tonight. 7:30 don't be late"

"I don't think we'll be finishing your house tonight" Troy told her, watching her as she watched her grandparents walk away"

"No" she sighed.

"Right" he nodded and they started walking to his car

"We still have tomorrow to get the house done" Troy told her, they were currently in the car on their way to Gabriella's grandparent's house.

"I know. I just don't go to my grandparent's house often."

"Ah, sorry"

"For what?" Gabriella asked, looking over at him.

"For getting involved and making you go"

"Actually my grandma invited you, which means she's intrigued and wants to hear more about you"

"And if your granddad asked?"

"We wouldn't be going at all"

"Good to know"

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"What time is it?" Troy asked, suddenly

"Um, 7:29, by the time we get in it'll be 7:30. We're safe"

Troy smiled.

"Mr and Mrs Montez are in the socializing room. They have a few other guests waiting to see you both"

"Thank you Marissa" Gabriella said, politely.

"Thanks" Troy nodded.

Marissa nodded and went to finish her work for the day so she could go home.

"The socializing room is the-"

"Living room" Troy finished "My grandparents always call it that too"

Gabriella smiled in amusement

"Ah Gabriella, Troy. On time I see. Very good start. We're just about to eat. Let me introduce you to some people. These are very good friends of mine, so please be on your best behaviour and don't embarrass me"

They walked into the dining room and were shocked at who they saw sitting at the table.

"Troy, Gabriella. Meet Ruth and Victor." Margaret introduced. "Well don't be rude. Say something"

Troy was the first to speak. "Hi Grandma. Hi Granddad"

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Hey, pretty much the same as the original._

_Hope you like it :)_

_Thanks for reading!_


	41. Double Trouble

Troyella

**Chapter 41: Double Trouble [Edited]**

"_Troy, Gabriella. Meet Ruth and Victor." Margaret introduced. "Well don't be rude. Say something" _

_Troy was the first to speak. "Hi Grandma. Hi Granddad" _

"Grandma and Granddad. This is your grandson?" Margaret asked Ruth

"Why yes he is" Ruth replied

"Which one? The one who's still figuring out what to do in life?" Bruce asked

"Or the one that's captain of the basketball team at East High and still manages to keep up his grades"

"The second one" Victor said, somewhat proudly.

"Troy Bolton, it's a pleasure to meet you" Bruce said, holding out his hand. "We've heard many great things about you" he said, as Troy held out his hand.

"Well hang on a minute. This is your granddaughter? The intelligent student who has been top of her class in every school she's been to?"

"This would be the girl"

Suddenly they all started talking about the two and how they were wrong to judge and how they are great together.

"Um, should we go?" Troy asked.

"I want to but I'm afraid that when they notice we'll have hell to pay"

"They won't notice, not if we make a break for it right now" he whispered

Gabriella giggled.

"Well Troy, I haven't seen you in a suit since you're 10th birthday party that we threw you" Ruth told him. "You certainly clean up nicely"

"Thanks grandma"

"And this time Tami's not here to throw up leaving Troy to give her his shirt to clean up with"

"Why didn't you use a tea-towel or tissue?" Bruce asked

"We went to a little remote island. I didn't think to bring tea-towels and there were no napkins left" Ruth told them.

"So you let your little sister have your shirt to clean up with? That's so sweet" Margaret said in awe

"It was nothing, really"

"Oh, he's too modest" Bruce joked

"Well you two, don't just stand. Sit down; we want to know all about you Troy. And Gabriella I'm sure Ruth and Victor want to get to know you more"

"See, told you we should have made a break for it" Troy whispered from behind her, in her ear.

Gabriella just smiled as Troy pulled the chair out from underneath the table waiting for her to sit down before he took his own seat.

"Well, he's a gentleman. That's always good" Margaret smiled, as if she were counting points in her head. And he has just earned 2. This made Troy a little uncomfortable.

"Now, who shall we start with?" Margaret asked.

"Why don't we start with Gabriella, ladies first" Bruce suggested

"That's fine with me" Margaret agreed "Ask her whatever you wish"

Gabriella was already mentally killing her grandmother for saying that.

"So Gabriella, what are your grades at school like?" Ruth asked

"I mostly get A's – A*" Gabriella told them.

"Mostly?" Ruth picked up.

"Well in PE I get B's, but that's about it"

"And you're top of your class at every school you've been to we hear" Victor said as their food arrived.

"Well yes"

"Don't be shy about it. It's a wonderful achievement" Ruth told her.

"Thank you" Gabriella replied.

"What do you do outside of school?" Victor asked.

"Well, I study when I have exams coming up. Singing, I like singing, now more than ever. Being with my friends and family. Watching Troy at his basketball matches is something I've started doing since I've been here." She told them, not really sure what else to say.

"Well that's a range. It's good the way you balance your social life with your school life. Oh and your voice is amazing. So it's no wondering you like singing so much" Victor told her.

She blushed "Thank you"

"How do you know she has a wonderful singing voice?" Bruce asked.

"We saw them in a performance they did with the school. They were the main characters and had some singing to do"

"Why did we not get invited to this?" Margaret asked a little hurt.

"You were in Fuerteventura" Gabriella told them, not even having to lie considering they were.

"Oh darn it. Did anyone happen to tape it?" Margaret asked Ruth

"Oh don't worry. I had Duke tape it and he got everything"

"You sure?"

"Of course, I watched it back myself"

"Excellent."

"We'll make a copy and come by tomorrow"

"Anyway, back to our grandchildren" Bruce said, reminding them of the two who had seemingly been forgotten about.

"Ah of course. Is there anything else you would like to ask Gabriella?"

"Nothing that I can think of, she seems like a classy lady" Victor told them

"Me either. It's a pleasure to meet you properly Gabriella. And hopefully this won't be the last time"

"Alright, now for Troy. And don't go easy on him. He can take it" Victor joked.

The table was consumed with laughter, aside from Troy and Gabriella

"Thank you Granddad, thanks" Troy smiled, knowing he was joking, but wondering whether they would take that as permission to come down on him. And considering he didn't see Gabriella laughing. He was worried.

It pretty much started off the same way as Gabriella's interrogation.

"What sort of grades do you get in school?" Margaret asked

"B's – A*'s" Troy answered

"In what subjects?" Bruce asked

"I get B's on average in Maths and Geography. A's in Science, History, RE and A*'s in English and PE." Troy answered.

"What grades do your friends get?" Margaret asked

"About the same, some get on average C's but that's still a pass"

Gabriella knew he was talking about Chad.

"And Gabriella, you're friends with these people too?" Margaret asked

"Yes Grandma. But he's getting the grades and is a great person"

"How close are you to this person, Troy?" Ruth asked.

"He's my best mate"

"Alright, how did you get to be captain of the basketball team?" Bruce asked

"Well my dad picks people who could be great at being captain and then leaves it to the other players to decide who they want as their captain"

"Do you order them around? Tell them what to do?" Bruce asked, continuing with the subject of him being captain.

"No, no it doesn't work like that. Well it could if I wanted it to be like that, but I think we should work as a team instead of ordering everyone around. That way we all put ideas on the table and we can combine them or use them for different teams on whichever works best."

"So you believe in teamwork?"

"Basketball isn't a one-man sport. It's a team sport, which means everyone has to get involved and no one feels annihilated for one reason or another. Working as a team is key. We all have to have each other's backs."

"Good advice" Margaret complimented.

"Where do you plan on going to college?" Margaret asked

"I haven't decided yet. I want to do a lot of things in college and I want to go to one that will have everything I would like to do"

"What would you like to do?" Bruce asked.

"Well I would like to go somewhere that would have basketball so I can improve there-"

"You're captain, why would you need to improve?"

"Even captains need to improve on their game. There's nothing you haven't learnt. Something new always comes around which you can learn."

"Very true, carry on" Margaret told him.

"Well, I would also like to go into Law maybe. Psychology as well, also something to do with performing"

"That's a lot of demands for a college"

"I know"

"Do you think you can handle it? It'll be different in college than to High School"

"Yeah I'm sure I'll be able to. If not I'll drop one, but law and psychology I think will really interest me and I've always loved basketball and I'm beginning to love performing too"

"Well if you love it then go for it" Margaret told him

Troy smiled.

"So Troy, how many girlfriends have you had in the past?" Margaret asked.

Now Troy started to get a bit worried. What if they asked a question he didn't have the answer to?

"None. Gabriella is my first girlfriend."

"Why did you wait?"

"I wanted to be with someone who was beautiful, intelligent and someone I knew from the moment I met them I wanted to know them more. This is what happened with Gabriella."

"What do you like about Gabriella?" Bruce asked.

Troy looked at him

"This might sound a little strange at first but hear me out" Troy told them.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I said hear me out" Troy told them, he knew Gabriella was awaiting an explanation.

"I don't just _like_ everything about her, I _love_ everything about her." Troy told them. "I _love_ how at times she can be so confident and bold yet other times so shy and innocent. I _love_ how she's always there for her friends and family and is so selfless she'll put them before herself. I _love_ how her smile is so bright that you feel that all your problems are nothing to worry about, and just with a smile she can make you feel happier and better without even realizing it. I _love_ hearing her voice every day. When we sang on karaoke I _loved_ her voice then and I still_ love_ it now. I _love_ the way she listens intently to what you have to say even if it means nothing. I _love_ how she'll remember something so random that it makes it sweet. So, no I don't like anything about Gabriella, I _love __**everything **_about Gabriella and most of all I _love__** her**_"

Everything went silent after the speech.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be outside to get some air" Troy told them and stood up and walked out into the back garden"

"Hey" Gabriella said from the doors, Troy turned to see her. She was red from all the blushing during his speech, but could see it fading as she came out into the open, apparently needing the air also.

"Hey" he greeted. They both sat down on the bench-swing which was facing away from the house "Well that was unexpected"

"Did you mean that? Everything you just said?"

"Of course, and sorry if I confused or worried you at the beginning there" he apologized

"No need for that. You made up for it with that speech"

"Why wouldn't you think I meant it?" Troy asked curiously, playing with her hair as she laid down her head resting on his knees.

"Well, I don't know really. No one's ever said anything like that about me before; I don't know I guess I'm not used to it. But it was really sweet"

"I meant every word"

"I know, I could tell. I love you too Troy"

Troy smiled.

Back indoors they were already talking about what Troy had said.

"I wasn't expecting that" Margaret said.

"I don't think he was either" Victor told them.

"Your grandson seems like a very nice boy. Who seems to love our granddaughter"

"You know I really think it would kill them if they were ever made to leave each other"

"Well then we have to make sure that doesn't happen. Because I am not letting my granddaughter's heart get broken"

"Nor my grandson"

The two women swore.

"We just wanted to say goodnight, it's getting late and we ought to be getting home" Troy said.

"Oh Troy" Bruce called standing up.

Troy turned to face him.

"Um, what you said about Gabriella, well it was something I'll never forget, I know you didn't need it before ad even if I hadn't given it before the night was over you would carry on as normal. But you have my blessing to be together. You'll need to come back for another blessing for other things. But I want you to know that I'm happy that you are with Gabriella." He told them.

"Thank you Mr. Montez. That's, that's a big relief" Troy told him.

He nodded and went to sit back down.

"Well, goodnight everyone" Troy bid.

"See you soon" Gabriella smiled sweetly

"Night you two. Drive safe" Margaret called before they left.

"What do we do now?" Gabriella asked

"Well, it's only 9:30, why don't we finish re-decorating your house?" Troy suggested.

"Sounds good to me" Gabriella smiled.

Troy and Gabriella finished somewhere around 10:30 – 11:00pm.

"Well that was faster than I expected" Gabriella said, putting the paint brush in the sink

"Yeah, we would have got it done faster if someone hadn't chased me with paint"

"Payback for the cream"

Troy laughed "That seems like ages ago now"

"I know what you mean" Gabriella agreed "Hey, what did happen to that cream?"

Troy didn't answer. She looked round and he sprayed the cream in her face once more.

"Troy Bolton!"

"Revenge is sweet" he laughed as she chased him round the house, careful not to mess anything up. Gabriella was chasing him with the cream he sprayed on her.

They got to her bedroom where Troy decided it was time to stop and go to sleep considering the day they've had. He was getting sleepy. He knew Gabriella would have other plans though so he turned and caught her hands with intertwined them with his own.

"I'm getting sleepy"

Gabriella yawned, indicating she agreed with him.

"I'm going to wash my _face_ and then I'll be back" she told him, but Troy didn't let go of her hands.

Gabriella whined and pouted. Troy just laughed.

"Don't bother. Do that in the morning"

"But then I'll get cream all over my pillows"

"I will personally wash them for you tomorrow" he promised, wiping some more off her face so less would get everywhere.

Gabriella yawned again

"And from the looks of it at this rate you won't make it to the bathroom anyway"

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh yeah, real mature" he said, laying them both down"

"Mmhm, night"

"Night, love you"

"I love you too"

Ava had come back early from her business trip. She was told that her house was ready to move back into and was not looking forward to the work she would have to do.

She was shocked to find that everything had been restored to the way it was. When the police had phoned they said that there was a lot of work that had to be done and they were sorry they couldn't do it themselves. Not that she expected them too.

"_Who could've done all this?"_ she wondered.

As she walked around the house she saw everything in place.

She went upstairs to see if Gabriella was in her room or at Troys. She smiled when she saw them sleeping soundly. She didn't exactly know why they were covered in cream, but considering most of it was on Gabriella's face she thought it might have something to do with Troy. She laughed. Then she saw that they were also pretty much covered in paint, and she smiled realizing that they had done all the work and found the time to go shopping. She also had a phone call from her mother-in-law. How they had done all of it in one day she couldn't be sure.

But she was sure that she would have to do something to thank them tomorrow.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_Chapter 41 ... Done!_

_Hope you like it :)_


	42. All Four Boltons

Troyella

**Chapter 43: ****"All Four Bolton's!" [Edited]**

_Ring Ring_

"Hello?" Ms. Darbus answered the phone sleepily.

"Hello, Allison?"

"Mr. Hail?"

"Please, outside of school it's Andrew"

"Alright Andrew, why are you phoning so early?"

"Well, I thought I should warn you" he said in a worried tone.

"What's going on?"

"Well you see, Tami and Troy obviously already go to the school, so you're used to them being around. And Terry and Tori, well they used to go to East High, so you'll know how to deal with them"

"What's this about Andrew?" Mrs. Darbus asked, now fully awake, in a tone you knew you shouldn't mess with.

"Well Troy, Tami, Terry and Tori will all be in school today"

"What?" her voice wavered

"Yes, well you see it's a kind of reunion thing, like we do every two years, and it just so happens that Tori and Terry are two years apart. And because at one point or another they were all in your tutor group, they will have to stay with you for the whole day" Mr. Hail spoke rather quickly

"Well, you know today I'm not really feeling that well. Maybe you can call someone to substitute for me today" she spoke, her voice becoming scratchy all of a sudden.

"Allison, please don't let these four, well to us, children get to you. You've handled them all once, you can do it" he encouraged

"But it'll be all of them, in one room. That's dangerous. Very dangerous Andrew"

"I'm sure you can handle it. See you in an hour Allison"

Mrs. Darbus couldn't get back to sleep after that, afraid what her memories and imagination would conjure up for what the day would hold. One thing she knew for sure, this was surely going to be the worst day of her life, and even though it hadn't started yet. She couldn't wait for it to be over.

Troy on the other hand didn't want this day to end. He knew that he, Tami, Terry and Tori would all be together in the same group. And best of all? Of course, they were with Mrs. Darbus. Could it get any sweeter?

Yes, apparently so. They already have a plan and the whole gang, including Taylor and Gabriella, are getting involved. It would be a group effort. Sure they might, or most definitely, get into trouble. But it would be worth it. They all knew that.

"Morning" Gabriella called sweetly from her door, jogging to the car.

"Morning" He kissed her as she got in "Ready to start an unforgettable day?" Troy asked

Gabriella laughed "You're like a kid who just opened his Christmas presents to find he got everything he wanted"

"Well of course. Today we get to torture Darbus! We've been plotting this since Tori first went to the school"

"Well, today should be interesting then"

"Oh it will be" Troy had an evil mental smile on his face that told you to beware.

"So what plans have you got up your sleeve then?"

"You'll see. Trust me it will be so much more fun if I don't tell you"

"But how do we get involved then?" She asked, confused.

"You'll know" he laughed "Trust me, you'll know"

"Does your dad know about this?"

"Well, he did help us plan it"

"You know, even though it's Mrs. Darbus who should be terrified. I'm a little scared"

Troy chucked "Don't worry you'll be in fits of laughter by the end of the day. Well, speak of the devil"

"Think she knows yet?" Gabriella asked as Troy parked.

Mrs. Darbus spun round when she heard the car. Her eyes widened in fear and went straight indoors to the safety of her classroom.

"Oh yeah, she knows" Troy laughed.

"What time do the others arrive?"

Troy looked at his watch "Right about now"

And sure enough, Jack and Tami drove through behind them was Tori and Terry, they parked either side of Troy.

"Hey bro." Terry greeted getting out of the car.

"Hey guys"

"Well I'm guessing you're all going to have fun today" Jack commented by the looks of excitement.

"Hell yeah!" was Tami's response

"Just don't get expelled" Jack warned, looking at Troy and Tami

"Don't worry dad. They can't expel us" Terry reminded him, with an evil glint in his eyes.

"You realize you four look like mad psychopaths right now?" Chad said, walking up to them.

"Well what do you expect? We've all had the crazy old bat now is our chance to get some revenge" Tori replied.

Jack laughed "See you later. Tell me how it goes"

"Mr. Bolton, were you apart of this?" Taylor asked.

"Well if anyone asks. No. But between us, I really wish I could be there to see it happen"

Everyone laughed. "Sorry dad. You have to teach" Tami said

"Fun." He replied, very unenthusiastically.

"Bye Mr. Bolton" they waved.

"Bye kids"

"So, what have you all got planned today?" Kelsi asked.

"Troy's not telling" Gabriella huffed.

"Well I could but then it would ruin the surprise" he said, putting his arms around her.

"So, when do we come in to it all?" Sharpay asked.

"Oh you'll be in from the beginning" Tami told them

"But we need you to act normal and improvise" Troy continued

"It'll make the whole thing so much better" Terry carried on

"Sorry, but you're going to have to trust us on this one" Tori finished.

"Very odd" Zeke commented.

The Bolton's shrugged and everyone decided it was time to enter the school.

"Wow, place hasn't changed one bit. Well except now there's a picture of my brother on the wall with his mates" Terry said, commenting on the basketball poster.

"I have to agree with Terry. It looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. Didn't you say they had work done?"

"Only to the doors." Troy said.

"But they got changed back to normal" Sharpay told them.

"After the incident with West, you know?" Chad explained.

"And you guys call us odd" Terry said.

All of a sudden they heard the bell ring. And the mad psychopaths are back with a vengeance.

"It's Showtime"

"Good morning class" Ms. Darbus greeted "And extras" she added grudgingly.

"Morning Darbus" Terry greeted back, with a smirk fixed on his face.

"What's going on here?" Collin asked, not knowing who the other, older, people were in his class. As the Boltons were not the only extras in the class.

"Today is a day where people who have been in the school in the past can come back to see how things have changed and see everyone again. Like a reunion" Ms. Darbus explained.

"Exactly, did you miss us?" Rob Danforth asked.

"Let's get on with the lesson, shall we?"

"Go ahead" Terry answered her rhetorical question.

"Alright, but before I do let's get one thing straight." She said, eyeing the class but mainly the Bolton's, and Danforths.

"I want no jokes, no practical jokes, no pranks, no comments, and no trickery" she told them. "No water balloons, no whoopee cushions, no moving seats when I turn my back, no spitting stuff at me when I have my back turned either, understand?"

"Miss we're offended. Not only that you'd think we'd do that, but that's stuff for amateurs" Chad told her.

"I mean it. One wrong move" she threatened.

"What if it's not us?" Troy asked, amused.

"It'll always be one of you, Bolton"

"Well that's a bit harsh" Tori commented.

"Let's just have a nice, calm, peaceful day. Shall we?"

"You're the one stalling" Rob told her.

"Right, well I just wanted to make that clear."

As soon as she had her back turned the plan went into action.

"So today we will be learning about Shakespeare"

"The amount of times we learnt Shakespeare!" Terry groaned in a whisper

Ms. Darbus turned

"Shakespeare is very important to learn. You should be lucky you had a teacher that taught in such depth and detail about him and his unique style of writing that grips you, from the first sentence" she said, her hand turning to a fist as she spoke for emphasis.

"Well then why don't you tell us, what is so great about him?" Jason asked, having a sort of script that was passed to him.

Ms. Darbus sat down "Well let's see here. His plays, they're all so gripping and thrilling..." She was officially distracted.

"So what's going on today?"Rob asked.

"Alright, alright. We'll tell you all." Troy whispered, so Darbus didn't get pulled out of her distraction.

"Awesome! So what's going on?"

"Well for the first lesson, this one. Distract her, like we're doing now and then-"

"Will you all please be quiet?" Ms. Darbus yelled. "Now where was I? Oh yes, Sonnet 130, how he celebrates the imperfections of his mistress-"

"Mistress? Doesn't that mean Shakespeare cheated on his wife?" Terry asked.

"Yeah" Troy confirmed for him.

"Shakespeare cheated on his wife?" Terry asked again, trying to wrap his head around it

"Does this really matter?" Tori asked

"Well I'm just a bit shocked"

"Not everyone was perfect and innocent in Shakespeare's time, just like our time and just like generations before that" Tami explained

"Whatever" Terry said, already getting bored

"So what happens after we distract her?"

"Gabriella, ask to go to the toilets"

"Why me?"

"Because you're the innocent one who she trusts" Chad told her

"Am I really that predictable?"

Troy smiled and pulled her into an embrace "Doesn't matter Gabriella" he said kissing the side of her head "It's really come in handy for this"

"Yeah but it must be a bit boring if you know my every move and reactions" she pouted

"Never" he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine, she smiled.

"Alright, enough lovey dovey stuff, let's get started" Chad bounced enthusiastically.

"Cool it, Chad. We don't want Darbus getting suspicious" Zeke warned

Chad immediately stopped his actions and calmed down.

"Ready?" Troy asked Gabriella

Gabriella nodded. Troy pulled out of the embrace, Gabriella immediately missed the warmth even though he was just two feet away, and she put her hand up, abruptly halting what the theatre teacher had to say next

"Yes, Miss Montez?" Ms. Darbus asked, clearly annoyed

"Could I go to the toilet please?"

"Can't you wait?" The teacher asked, now clearly very suspicious

"Not really, no" Gabriella told her, feigning innocence – which she pulled off quite well.

"Oh, very well. Be quick" she told her sharply.

Gabriella nodded. As Ms. Darbus continued with her Shakespearean biography Gabriella turned to look at Troy who smiled and winked, indicating she did a good job.

Gabriella knew that she wouldn't be quick in the bathroom, she'd have to go slow, though she didn't know why, she knew that it was all part of the plan.

"Now, Shakespeare wrote many, many plays such as 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' or 'Much Ado about Nothing' and so many more. Now you might find them -"

"Ms. Darbus, could I go check on Gabriella, it's been 15 minutes and she's still not back" Troy asked

"Now, why would I let you out of lesson?" She asked, even though she was annoyed she was interrupted again, she liked annoying Troy Bolton more.

"Because, like I said, it's been 15 minutes and if I can't go out then no one else can go check on her because they're students, just like me. Including the older ones, sorry but you're all students again for the day"

"Well it has been a long time. However, I can't let you out today, headmasters orders" Ms. Darbus _seemed to be torn, not once thinking how this could be a set up._

"Alright, I'll go check on here. I'll be back, so don't try anything" she told them, briskly walking out the door.

"_Gabriella, Darbus is on her way. Might need to act ill for a bit. Act until she suggests medical room, you'll figure something out =] _

_Love you xx _

_Troy x"_

Gabriella got the text minutes before her teacher walked into the bathroom, so was prepared and knew what to do. _'Wow, seems I work well under pressure'_ she thought, surprised.

"Miss Montez, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm not sure Miss, I feel quite sick for some reason"

"Maybe you should go to the medical room"

"_Oh no, I hadn't considered it would come up this early"_

"No, no I think I just need some fresh air"

"Well I can't let you off school grounds, you realize this don't you?"

"I know, I'll be fine don't worry" Gabriella told her, acting as if she were struggling to keep in some sort of pain or discomfort.

"Miss Montez, are you sure you don't want to go to the medical room?"

"I'm sure, really I'll be fine. It's just something that comes and goes. It'll pass."

"Should I send Bolton to come see you?" Darbus asked, sighing not believing she was resorting to this.

"Umm, yeah Ok" Gabriella agreed, surprised by this option. Of course she has no clue what the gang have decided to do, so hoped that this would work out.

"He'll be in shortly"

Gabriella nodded, all the while thinking _"Oh no he won't" _hoping he wouldn't get into too much trouble.

Ms. Darbus walked briskly back to her classroom and opened the door.

Or at least tried too.

She pushed the handle down again, and again the door wouldn't budge.

She looked in her classroom and scowled. The four Bolton's with their friends all smiling innocently at each other, acting as if they had no clue what was going on outside.

"Open the door" she yelled from outside.

Everyone pretended not to hear her and carried on with what they were doing.

"I swear, if you do not open this door right now there will be severe consequences. Especially for you Bolton, don't think for one second that you won't feel the consequences of your actions which will cut deep Mr Bolton. "

Troy smirked; he knew there was nothing she could do. She doesn't have any proof and his dad knows all about this. He was in control, and loved every second of it.

Ms. Darbus shook with anger before walking right back to the bathroom to find Gabriella and demand an explanation.

Only to find she wasn't there anymore.

"_Troy, went up to 'secret' place in case Darbus came in search for me. _

_Love you xxx_

_Gabriella"_

"Smart girl"

"Another reason it needed to be her that went out"

"So what now? We just lock her out of her own classroom for the entirety of first and second lesson?" Jason asked.

"While preparing our other plans of course" Terry told him "We couldn't very well do it while she was in the room now, could we?"

"So, what do we do now?"

Troy smiled and started telling them about their plans for the rest of the day.

First they pulled all the blinds down so no one from the outside could see what was going on.

Ms. Darbus was in the principal's office trying to explain to him what was going on. It took them up until nearly the end of period two to convince him that they were up to something and walked down to the classroom to see what was going on.

However, when he got in the classroom everything looked normal, the students were in their seats chatting among themselves, the blinds were pulled back up, Gabriella was back in the classroom. Nothing was out of place.

"Ms. Darbus this is two periods wasted, please don't waste anymore. I know you're paranoid about the whole family of Bolton's being in the school, but it'll all be fine. Trust me" he told her, before walking back to his office.

All four Bolton's smiled at Ms. Darbus brightly.

"Now, listen here and listen good. I am not imagining things, I will not fall for any of your little tricks you may have up your sleeve so forget it. Ok, none of you are leaving this classroom except for break and lunch. And just because things _look_ normal, I'm not fooled, because I know that they are _not_ normal. I don't know exactly what you are all up to yet, but I will find out."

"Um, it's break now. Can we go?" Terry asked.

Ms. Darbus threw a death glare Terry's way "Go" she sneered.

"Dude, did you see her face?" Chad asked.

"I know! Who knew we could evoke such a reaction from her" Troy smirked

"I thought she was about to catch on fire the fury she was emitting, and her face was literally twisted in rage I wonder if it'll stay that way permanently" Chad pondered

"God I hope not, she's scary enough as it is!" Sharpay shrieked.

"If she's this worked up now, imagine what she'll be like for the rest of the day" Terry smirked.

"Guys, I think we just signed our own death certificates" Troy said, half seriously.

"And what a way to go" Terry smiled

They laughed.

Suddenly the bell went and massive grins broke out on their faces.

"Well, it was nice knowing you all" Tami whispered before walking into the classroom.

When the twelve walked in everyone was in their seats ready and waiting. Ms. Darbus looked up half still twisted with rage, half feared the unknown. She was hesitant to do anything at first or even move. It was like this for about three minutes when she realized that she was older than all of them and didn't want them to think she had got the better of her.

'_It's Ok Allison, breathe just breathe. What's the worst they could do?' _she questioned herself, immediately regretting it.

"So, for the third lesson" she started hesitantly

The class could hardly believe it. She had been broken.

"You will be learning about the great theatre productions through time and what made them like that" she said, gradually getting more confident as nothing happened.

"Dude, I'm scared" Troy whispered to Chad.

"Me too, I want the old Darbus back, she's way less freaky than" Chad paused looking for the right word "...this!"

Troy nodded furiously in complete and total agreement.

"Do you think we should stop?" Ryan asked

They all turned and looked at him as if he just grown two heads

"No way, man!" Terry scoffed

"Although maybe we should wait an hour or so to continue – make her think we're done ... and so we don't give her a panic attack" Troy suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Ms. Darbus was still talking and turned round to face the class. She took one look at the left side of the room and gave up.

"That's it! I'm taking the rest of the day off!" She announced.

Everyone gaped at her in shock

"We haven't done anything" Zeke told her wide-eyed.

"The fear of the unknown is worse than the happenings of the present" She told them before walking briskly out the door.

"Well that was no fun at all" Terry whined.

"Hey, we broke her – actually broke her! That has to be something worth celebrating! We didn't even do anything and she was freaked" Sharpay told them, brightening the mood.

"Right, but we need to clear the place before the Principal comes in. He can't get a sub this soon meaning he'll be taking over" Troy reminded them and started taking away all the preparations.

"I can't believe this, what a waste!" Tami complained.

"Hey, we barely did anything; we just locked her out of her classroom for a couple of hours – what's the harm in that?" Chad asked, rhetorically.

"I guess it really was the fear of the unknown" Zeke reminded them.

"Strange" they said in union.

"So, what do we do now?" a student in the class asked

Troy shook his head "Haven't got a clue"

Suddenly the door swung back open "Sorry students about Ms. Darbus ... she seems to have come down with something very suddenly" the principal explained, unaffectedly lying to them.

"Is she going to be Ok?" Tami asked, feigning curiosity

"Yes I'm sure she'll be fine by tomorrow – or maybe in a few days, I think she needs some time to gain some strength again" he told them, choosing his words carefully.

"So what do we do now?" the student who asked earlier asked again.

"Well unfortunately I'm very busy therefore can't teach you and it's too short notice to find a substitute, so it looks as if you'll all have to go home" he told them.

"Are you being serious?" Zeke asked

"Yes I'm being serious Mr Baylor. Now go home and enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow morning" with that he walked out of the room.

"Am I dreaming?" Chad asked.

Troy looked at him and pinched him, hard.

"Owwww! What was that for?" Chad whined.

"Now you know you're not dreaming"

"Wouldn't have been easier to just tell me?" he grumbled, rubbing his arm.

"Easier, but not as much fun" Troy said standing up

"Where are you going?" Jason asked.

Troy looked around and saw he was the only one who had made any movement.

"Oh come on? We've just been told we can go home and you all want to stay here?"

Realization seemed to have hit the rest of the class as they packed up and ran for the front doors.

"So, what do you all want to do?" Troy asked.

"Well I have to go work my shift." Tori told them "They said when I'm done here I have to get to work. Might as well" She told them

"Ok, bye sis!" Troy said hugging her.

"Bye! We'll be seeing you two for the BBQ right?" She asked Troy and Tami.

"Gabriella's coming too by the way and 'course! Wasn't this planned ages ago?" Troy asked

"Yeah months! But you know our family – keep postponing, things coming up"

"I'll be seeing you guys there too – I need to get home" Terry told them

"Alright, see you" Tami said hugging her brother

As they left Troy turned back to the gang "Do you guys have any plans?"

"Actually Ryan and I have to go get ready for a family dinner. Our parents are going away for the week"

"Have fun!" Zeke told his girlfriend, hugging her and giving her a kiss goodbye.

"Thanks, I will, bye everyone"

"Bye!"

"Bye guys"

"Bye Ryan"

"And then there was 8" Gabriella said.

"Make that 6 Chad and I are going to go out for lunch, is that Ok?" Taylor asked

"'Course, why wouldn't it be?" Gabriella asked back.

"Ok, we'll see you all tomorrow"

"Yeah, us too" Kelsi spoke for Jason and herself "We're just going to walk around a bit"

"And I need to go see dad about something" Tami told them.

Suddenly it was just Gabriella and Troy alone.

"So, what do you want to do?" Troy asked Gabriella.

"I don't mind, I'm kind of tired though so maybe just go home and watch a film or something?"

Troy smiled "Sounds perfect"

_[Edited A/N]:_

_I couldn't do much with this one :)_

_A pretty bad ending, but hopefully the chapter was good :)_

_It sounded better in my head, any suggestions are welcome :)_

_Thanks for reading! _


	43. Merry Christmas Eve

Troyella

**Chapter 42: Merry Christmas Eve [Edited]**

It was the day before Christmas. The day where the houses must be cleaned from top to tail, last minute shopping for presents and food, watching movies and being with your loved ones and preparing for the festive fun that beholds the next day.

At least, that's what it's like for most people. This was pretty much the itinerary for the Bolton and Montez families.

Gabriella Montez was unusually quiet for Christmas Eve, sure she and Troy had only spent one Christmas together, so far, but he was worried. She had her thinking face on which, outside of school, was never good.

"Hey, are you Ok?" Troy asked his girlfriend

"Mmhm" she nodded "Why?"

"You look worried, and it's the day before Christmas" he added dramatically. She giggled "What's up?"

"Nothing" she replied "It's nothing, I'll figure it out later"

"No way that means it'll be on your mind the whole day and that I will not allow" he smiled, reassuringly

She smiled back but sighed "We go to college next September"

"Yeah?" he phrased as a question but had a feeling he knew where this was going, considering he has thought about it too.

"Well, we're going to be going to different colleges because; well we have different career paths. I'm scared of somehow losing you. I mean what if we lose contact? What if you meet someone else? What if-"

Troy pulled Gabriella into a hug and remained that way until she calmed down a little.

"Troy, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you" she spoke muffled into his chest.

"Hey, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I will fight for us. I will call and e-mail every day. You'll be sick of me by the end of term!" he joked, which got a small smile out of her "Gabriella, you have to know" he started, turning serious "There will never be another girl as amazing and wonderful, beautiful and intelligent, there will never be another girl I love as much as I love you"

She nodded and smiled "I love you too Troy"

"Do you remember what I said in that note on Valentine's Day?" Troy asked

"Which one?" she retorted, remembering the day clearly

"The last one before you found me"

"The one about your heart?"

He nodded

"Yeah" she smiled at the memory"

"What did I say?" he asked

"That even though you couldn't give it to me wrapped up in a box-"

"My heart will always belong to you. Gabriella that hasn't changed. You are the only person who will have my heart and love and you will never lose me."

She smiled brightly

"In fact, do you want an early Christmas present?" he asked

Gabriella looked confused

"I think now is the perfect time to give it to you"

"Oh, well, I don't mind" she smiled

"I'll take that as a yes" he chuckled

He got up from his bed and took the present out of his beside draw

"This symbolizes my love for you and you mean more to me than anything in the world" he told her, handing her the present.

Gabriela neatly opened the wrapping paper and opened the box.

As she opened it she beamed with happiness

"I can't believe ... wow"

Gabriella was lost for words

"Do you like it?" he asked

He got her a ring. It had a silver band with red and white jewels on the top – red, white, red – engraved on the inside 'Troy Bolton 3 Gabriella Montez Always&Forever'

"Valentine's Day" she whispered remembering the view from their secret place"

"This ring, if you miss me or anything. The ring will remind you that wherever I am, I will always be thinking of you.

Gabriella was choked up "I've said this way too many times since we've been together. But you never cease to amaze me" she smiled hugging him.

"I love you"

"I love you too" she smiled "I'll never stop"

"Never ever?" he asked

Gabriella giggled "Never ever" she replied, leaning in to kiss him.

"You exited for Christmas?" Gabriella asked randomly.

Troy laughed a bit "Hell yeah! It's going to be awesome!"

"You think so?"

"Well, you'll be with me. So of course it's going to be"

Gabriella smiled.

"It's nearly 2 years since we've met" she smiled.

Troy grinned "Yeah, how amazing is that?"

"Pretty amazing, times gone so fast"

"Troy, your father and I are going out to do some last minute Christmas shopping with Ava"

"Last minute? Mum, this isn't just last minute, this is beyond the last minute you have crossed the last minute line"

"Ha-ha Troy."

"Who do you have to get for anyway?"

"Just, people"

"What people?"

"People, people. Now, can you look after Tami while we're out?"

"Mother, I am old enough to look after myself!" Tami yelled from her room

"Of course you are honey" she called back "No, she's not." She said, returning to her normal voice volume level "Please?"

"Yeah sure mum" Troy agreed "We're probably staying in today anyway because unlike some people we've done all our Christmas shopping"

"Oh, well lucky for some" she replied, jokingly.

"Good luck in town. It's going to be packed"

Lucille glared playfully and walked downstairs.

"You're mean to your mum" she giggled

"I'm not being mean. I'm being an awkward teenager" he replied

She giggled "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Well, if you want you can meet with the rest of the gang. I'm sure you don't want to stay and babysit"

"I can hear you"

"Sorry sis" he called back

"No, it's fine. I'd love to" she responded happily.

"Awesome! So, what do you want to do?"

"Um, well we could watch a movie or-"

"We could bake cookies and stuff" Tami came storming in, bouncing up and down.

"Ok, calm down. What do you want to do?" Troy laughed as his sister was still jumping with the energy of a 5 year old

"We could bake cookies."

"And leave them for Santa?" Troy asked

Tami glared and threw a pair of socks at him.

He looked from the socks back to his sister "You're so going to regret that" he told her.

"Bring it bro" she challenged confidently.

Troy lunged for her, she squealed and ran downstairs.

"You're not getting away from me that easily" he laughed as he ran after her.

Gabriella was caught in a dilemma. Stay up here and miss the show or go downstairs and risk being getting hurt.

She immediately got up and ran to the top of the stairs to see what was happening.

She realized they had gone into the living room and ran straight to the room.

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh as she saw Troy had captured Tami and was threatening to make her the new angel on the tree, whilst Tami was in a fit of giggles.

"OK, I'm sorry about the socks"

"You should be" he said, jokingly.

"So, do you guys want to bake cookies?" she asked, eagerly.

"Sure, I don't mind" Gabriella agreed

"Sure, why not? Do we have the ingredients?"

"Yeah, I checked before I asked, just in case"

Troy laughed "Come on then let's get everything ... prepared?" he finished looking around at everything set out and prepared for cooking. He looked at Tami

"I was hoping you'd say yes" she shrugged innocently.

"Ok, what cookies are we baking?" Gabriella asked

"Tami, are you any good at baking?" Troy asked

"Um, I don't know. But I remember you telling me that you and Gabriella baked a cake once"

"Did I not tell you the ending of that story?"

"Yeah, you said Ava loved her cake"

"Just before that?"

"The foods fight?"

"Yeah, the foods fight" he thought back smiling.

"Yeah, well that's not going to happen because if it does mum will kill you because she's been cleaning all day"

"So, we're baking because?"

"It's fun. We'll clean up afterwards, don't worry"

Gabriella giggled

"Find this amusing?"

"Um, yes?"

Troy laughed. "Alright, where do we start?"

They managed to get through the recipe without making a mistake or getting flour or having a food fight.

"Well, I'm quite impressed with us" Troy said when the cookies were in the oven baking and everything was cleared away"

"Shouldn't have said that, they're going to burn now" Tami joked

"Thank you Miss Superstitious."

"You're welcome" she replied sweetly.

"What do you guys want to do now?" Troy asked

"We could watch a movie like Gabriella suggested earlier" Tami re-suggested

"Sound good to you?" Troy asked her

"Sounds good to me" she smiled

"Awesome, so what film?"

"A Christmas film, like A Christmas Carol or Miracle on 34th Street or Jingle All the Way"

"Okay, Tami why don't you get all our Christmas films"

Tami nodded and started collecting

"Having a good day?" Troy asked

"The best Christmas Eve" she smiled

Troy smiled "Do you need to do anything. Prepare anything, wrap?" he asked

"No, everything's all set. You?"

"Same here, most organized I've ever been"

"You were pretty organized last year"

"At midnight trying to wrap the last presents discreetly"

"Really?"

He nodded

"Well, I wouldn't have guessed"

"So, you're saying I could have kept that to myself and you never would have realized?"

Gabriella nodded

"...Damn"

Gabriella pouted "No fair, I have no secrets"

"Well I don't anymore" he smiled

"You'd better hope not"

"I don't have to hope" he said, moving forward leaning in

"Ok, I have them – I'll come back in a minute" Tami turned on her heels

Gabriella giggled a bit and Troy smiled.

"Well, that's new" he said

Gabriella nodded "Yeah, well we've always been pretty-" she paused, trying to find the right word

"Private?"

"Yeah, private with-"

"I get it" he laughed, watching her struggle.

She smiled, leaning in

"Can I come back in now?"

Troy laughed "Yeah, sure" he called back "We'll finish this later" he smiled

"I'm holding you to that"

"Ok, so we have the three that were mentioned earlier. We also have Home Alone" she told them.

"Home Alone?" Gabriella asked

"You want to watch it?" Troy asked

"It's up to you guys"

Tami didn't answer, instead responded by putting the DVD in the DVD player.

Troy laughed and sat down, pulling Gabriella down with him.

Gabriella squealed a little and giggled.

Tami rolled her eyes, but secretly she was thinking how cute they were.

It didn't take long for Tami and Gabriella to fall asleep. Troy laughed a little when he noticed, pulled a blanket over them both and turned his attention back to the film.

It was when the credits were rolling Gabriella woke from her slumber.

Troy walked back in from the kitchen "Afternoon sleepy head"

Gabriella groaned while she stretched "What time is it?" she asked

"Just gone 2" he told her sitting back on the sofa.

She nodded then suddenly she was fully awake "The cookies-"

"Took them out, ready to eat. Icing and all" he smiled

Gabriella smiled and settled back down. "When did I fall asleep?" she asked

"Around the time the kid played the video to the crooks" he told her.

She nodded in acknowledgement that she knew which part he was talking about.

"You still tired?" he asked

She shook her head but eyes were closing anyway.

He laughed "Well, you might want to stay awake for a little longer

She opened her eyes to look at him "What do you mean?"

The nodded his head in the direction of the window.

Gabriella smiled brightly and ran for the backdoor

Troy laughed and looked over at Tami, wondering how he was going to wake her.

"What are you waiting for?" Gabriella asked, fully awake now.

"How should I get Tami up?" he asked

"Oh, how would you usually wake her up?" she asked

"Hmm, OK we'll be out in a minute"

"You're not going to be evil are you?" she asked cautiously

He laughed "No, I promise"

She nodded and went back outside.

Troy walked over to Tami and knelt on the floor beside her.

"Tami, wake up" he tried, but knew it wouldn't work. Tami is a deep sleeper.

He tried shaking her a little, which didn't work seeing as she just turned her back to him.

"You leave me with no choice" he told her sleeping form, getting up from his previous position.

He went outside for a minute then came back in with his hands behind his back, even though he and the sleeping Tami were the only ones in the room.

"Troy?"

"Yeah?" he asked

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to wake Tami" he told her innocently

She eyed him, suspiciously

"What have you got behind your back?" she asked

"Nothing" he replied

"Troy"

"Gabriella"

"I told you not to be mean"

"I'm not, I've tried everything!"

"Everything, huh?" she asked, amused.

He nodded

"So, what were you planning?"

"What you don't know won't hurt you" he smirked

Gabriella pouted "Tell me" she whined.

"Promise you won't stop me?" he asked, knowing he was going to have to use it very soon.

Gabriella shrugged "I promise"

He sighed and took the snowball from behind his back

Gabriella gaped "You can't do that"

"You promised" he told her, walking backwards

"But that's"

"Ok, how about this. You wake her up without yelling or shoving and I won't use the snowball on her" he compromised

Gabriella took the challenge.

"Tami" she called from the position Troy was previously in, she shook her gently. Tami, again, groaned, but otherwise nothing to say she was going to wake up pretty soon.

"Can I tell her what you're planning?" Gabriella asked

"How is that fair?"

"Please?" she asked

Troy huffed "Fine" pretending to look annoyed, but smiled and chuckled when she let out a sound of happiness.

"Tami, if you don't wake up Troy will hit you with a snowball" she warned, in her normal tone of voice.

Tami, amazingly, woke.

"What?" she shot up "Wait, it's not snowing"

Troy, once again, nodded towards the window

Tami beamed brightly and ran to the backdoor.

Troy laughed

Gabriella looked smugly at him.

"Oh, I'd wipe that look of your face missy" he told her

"Why?" she asked, this time her stepping back

"Well, now I have a snowball that still hasn't been used. Rapidly melting, and that's a waste, don't you think?" he asked

Gabriella blinked "Um, so what are you going to do with it?" she asked, but at the same time knew what was coming.

"Guess" he said, eyes gleaming.

She ran for it. She opened the back door and suddenly felt a mixture of cold and wetness on her face.

"Sorry" Tami yelled from the middle of the garden "I thought you were Troy"

Troy, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about the snowball, which was now a puddle of nothing, and in a fit of laughter on the kitchen floor.

"I'm just going...to run" Tami concluded and ran for it.

"You think this is funny?" Gabriella asked

Troy looked up at her "Aw, I'm sorry. But I wasn't expecting that"

Gabriella grumbled "You're not the only one"

Troy controlled his breathing and pulled her down to the floor with him. She laid her head down on his chest.

"Hello?" They heard after a few minutes. Jack, Lucille and Ava were back from their last minute shopping.

"In the kitchen" Troy called back

Gabriella groaned from the loudness

"Sorry" he apologized.

She shrugged and started to get up however, he wasn't letting go. She giggled and surrendered back into him.

The parents walked in and stopped looking curiously at the pair.

"How long have you been like that?" Lucille asked

"Not long. A few minutes." Troy told them

"Oh, where's Tami?" Jack asked

"Hiding" Gabriella answered, bluntly. This made Troy laugh, images flooding his head.

"Would you care to explain why she's hiding?" Jack asked

Troy explained what happened to their parents while Gabriella grumbled commentary of her own.

They looked quite amused at the situation

"So, how did you both get down there?" Ava asked

They both shrugged, as if they had forgotten.

"Okay then, well we're ordering in tonight. What do you both want?"

"Anything's fine mum" Troy answered.

"Kebabs?" Lucille proposed

Troy and Gabriella nodded simultaneously "Yes please"

Just before dinner arrived Tami came back, cautiously walking through the door.

Over dinner Troy, Tami and Gabriella told the parents about their day and after Lucille, Jack and Ava told their children about their day.

All too soon it was night again. Everyone had gone to sleep; Gabriella was staying over the night.

"You ok?" Troy asked

"Mmhm" Gabriella replied "Perfect"

"Hey, we still need to finish what we started earlier"

Gabriella giggled, remembering earlier.

Troy leaned in towards her and kissed her gently.

"Hmm, you have no idea how much I love you" Gabriella smiled

"I think I do" He smiled back.

"We'd better get to sleep otherwise we won't wake up tomorrow" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" he smiled

"Night" Gabriella bid

Troy kissed Gabriella once more "Night" he replied.

_[Edited A/N]:_

_All writted chapters of this story are officially edited. Only took me 1 week! _

_MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!_

_The great thing about editing chapters is now I'm early instead of late :P_

_Hope you like it :) _

_Thanks for reading!_


	44. Merry Christmas

Troyella

**Chapter 44: Merry Christmas**

Troy squinted a little as glimmers of sunlight peered through his bedroom waking him up; he opened his eyes and smiled, remembering what day it was. He looked down at his girlfriend of nearly three years and smiled. She hadn't been woken up as her face was buried in his chest all night. Troy decided a little festive wake-up call wouldn't do any harm so leant down and started singing gently

"_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true...  
All I want for Christmas is  
You... yea yea"_

Gabriella smiled, with her eyes still closed. "You are so cheesy"

"Yet you love it"

"Every second" She replied, sincerely. Gabriella turned over to face her boyfriend and leant up to kiss him sweetly.

"Merry Christmas" he told her.

Gabriella smiled "Merry Christmas"

"Do you think anyone's awake?" Troy asked

"Why don't we go find out?" Gabriella asked, getting up.

"Hmm, but the bed is so much comfier" he said, dragging her back down.

Gabriella giggled at his antics "10 more minutes" she told him.

"20 minutes" he retorted.

She looked at him "15 minutes" she compromised

Troy smiled "Alright, 15" he agreed, cuddling back into her.

15 minutes didn't last long however, as Tami bolted into the room. "IT'S CHRISTMAS!" She squealed "You're awake" she said "Why are you not downstairs?"

"We're sleeping in" Troy retorted

"Christmas is not a day to sleep in; it's a day for family and being together and-"

"And presents?" Troy cut her off.

"Gifts" she rephrased "To those you love to _show_ your love and appreciation towards them"

Gabriella looked up at Troy "She's good"

Troy laughed as Tami gloated.

"You have 10 minutes to get out of bed" Tami told her brother

"20" Troy retorted

Tami sighed "15 and that's it" she told him, walking out to wake the rest of the house up.

Troy rested his head back on his pillow looking smug.

Gabriella looked at Troy, flabbergasted.

Troy laughed, and once again pulled a stunned Gabriella back into him.

"You know, we'll be here longer than 15 minutes if you keep doing that. You're way too comfy" she told him.

"Is this why you use me as a pillow?" Troy asked

Gabriella blushed softly, smiling. "Maybe"

"I see, now it all makes sense" Troy grinned as Gabriella playfully hit him. "That could hurt someone's feelings, Gabriella"

"Aww, I'm sorry" she replied "You deserved it" she shrugged

Troy laughed, not knowing how he deserved to be hit. "Love you too" he replied

Gabriella giggled "So, when are we getting up?" she asked

"In 20 minutes" he replied

"Troy"

"Gabriella" he replied, evenly.

"Tami will be up here and she will drag you out" she told him.

"I'd love to see her try" he said, changing his position, moving Gabriella as he didn't move his arms from around her.

Gabriella giggled "Troy, I can't move"

"Ah well, looks like we're staying then, doesn't it?"

"Please Troy"

Troy groaned "You said 15 minutes, it's been 5" he told her.

"So we've got 10 minutes" she replied

Troy groaned and got up "Come on then" he said, holding his hand out to Gabriella.

Gabriella looked at him strangely, taking the hand, which pulled her up.

"I'm too curious now that I'm awake" he told her.

"I see is anyone coming over today?" she asked

"No one that I know of, what about your dad?" he asked

Gabriella shook her head "He spent last Christmas with us so this year he's spending it with my sister" she told him.

"I've never met your sister"

"She lives with my dad. After Christmas he leaves for business; we see each other once every few years"

Troy stayed silent, contemplating this

"You can't imagine not seeing your siblings at least once a week, can you?" she asked

Troy shook his head.

"Most people can't. Usually they all say they wish that it could be the case, but if their sibling really did live half way around the world, they wouldn't"

"No, it sounds like it sucks" he said.

"Yeah, it does."

Troy nodded

"Sorry, not your typical Christmas conversation"

"No, it's OK. It's nice knowing more about your family" he smiled.

Gabriella smiled "Sometimes I wish I could go see her, even for a couple of weeks" she told him.

"Where does she live?" he asked

"England, we used to live together when I lived in London, but then we moved when I was ten"

"How old was she?"

"She was seven"

"What's her name?" he asked, suddenly curious.

"Maria"

Troy nodded

"Do you want to go downstairs?" Gabriella asked

Troy smiled, knowing she wanted to change the subject "Yeah, come on"

Tami was already downstairs bouncing up and down, not wanting to open her presents until everyone else was there.

"Excited much?" Troy asked

Tami threw Troy his present from her.

"Don't open it yet" she told him, throwing Gabriella's present from her to her.

"Alright then" he said, sitting down on the sofa.

As he did his parents and Gabriella's mother came walking into the room.

"Finally!" Tami said, throwing each of them presents from her.

"Tami, you didn't have to get me anything" Ava told her.

"Please, you're practically family" Tami told her. "Now open your presents"

They laughed and did just that.

Troy got Inception "Wow Tami, thanks!" he said, hugging his little sister.

Gabriella got the new Alice in Wonderland film "How did you know I wanted this?" she asked

"I have my sources" she replied

Lucille got Sex in the City 2 while Jack got Green Zone and Ava got the Killers DVD.

They all thanked Tami for their presents.

"Your turn to open yours from Troy, Gabriella and Ava and Troy open yours from Ava and Gabriella you open yours from us" Lucille told them.

It was a tradition to open the presents from the children to the others and then open the presents from their parents afterwards.

From Troy, Tami got the new Supernatural Box Set and from Gabriella she got Karate Kid.

Tami squealed "Thank you so much!" she said, jumping up to hug them both.

From Ava Troy got Bon Jovi Greatest Hits.

"Wow, this is awesome. Thanks so much Ava"

"You're welcome, Troy"

And from Lucille and Jack, Gabriella got Robbie Williams Greatest Hits. Gabriella smiled reading through the song list "Thank you both so much" Gabriella smiled

"Our pleasure" they replied

Soon they were opening their presents from their parents.

Tami got a new laptop along with some more CD and other bits and pieces.

Troy got an Xbox Kinect along with some CDs, DVDs and games to go with the new console.

Gabriella got a new camera with some CDs, DVDs and Books.

They were all really happy with the presents they had got this year and went upstairs to clear the living room for other activities which would most likely be taking place later that day.

"Well, we did pretty well this year, huh?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded in agreement "Do you want yours from me?" he asked

Gabriella nodded, excitedly and went to get his out from the hiding place.

Troy furrowed his eyebrows "I never knew of that hiding place" he told her.

Gabriella giggled "So you've found about five or six hide-away places outside of this house but you don't know of any inside?" she asked

Troy shrugged "Starting New Years I will find all hiding places within this house" he told her. Troy sat on his newly made bed, not bothering to get changed just yet. "Now, come here and open your presents" he told her.

Gabriella giggled and did as instructed. One by one she opened presents which consisted of more DVDs and CDs along with some jewellery.

"Thank you" she smiled happily.

"You're welcome" he replied softly into her ear.

"Your turn" she told him, handing him his one by one.

As he opened them he found more of the same things and some sports stuff.

"This is excellent, thanks" he said, smiling.

Gabriella smiled "No problem, now we should probably get dressed and head down to breakfast.

"Actually, there's one more thing"

Gabriella's eyes widened "Huh?" she asked

Troy laughed at her expression, picking out an envelope from his bedside draw. "This is actually from me and some of the gang" he told her.

Gabriella took the envelope "We said nothing big this year"

"True, but this is from me and a few the others so technically-" he broke off smiling. "OK, before you open it I have a confession" he told her.

She looked up, confused.

"I already knew where your sister lived and everything" he told her. He saw her bewildered look and continued "It came up in a conversation I had with your mum. I suggested an idea and she agreed" he told her "Now, you can open it"

Gabriella opened the envelope and out came six tickets to London "This is from Chad, Sharpay, and me" he told her. "Six tickets to England for you and whoever you want to take with you"

"To see my sister?" she asked

Troy nodded "Yeah, to see your sister"

Gabriella began crying softly while Troy held his breath waiting for her reaction. She turned around throwing her arms around him "Thank you"

"Two weeks Gabriella, I guess that was a lucky guess" he chuckled.

Gabriella nodded, still speechless "You" she told him.

He looked at her, not knowing what she meant.

"You, Chad, Sharpay are definitely coming with me" she told him.

"These tickets are for-"

She cut him off "Anyone I want to take with me" she reminded him "And you guys made this possible so you're all coming with me"

Troy smiled, softly "We leave on the third" he told her

Finally Troy and Gabriella made it downstairs, fully dressed and ready to continue the festive day.

"I'm guessing Troy gave you the tickets" Ava smiled

"Yeah, six tickets to England. Pretty amazing"

"Do you know who you're taking yet?" Lucille asked

"Well, the people who bought the tickets. Troy, Chad and Sharpay so that makes four including me" she told them "Mum, would you like to come?" she asked

"I would sweetie, you know I would but Troy already asked me about it. Work won't let me take the time off"

Gabriella nodded, sadly. "In that case I have more thinking to do about one more person" she told them, sitting down to eat her breakfast.

"Two more people" Tami said

"No, one, Tami would you like to come with us?"

Tami's eyes widened "What, are you serious?" she asked

Gabriella nodded "Yeah, I mean you're practically like my little sister now as well" she told her.

Tami smiled, looking at Troy

Troy smiled "If you want to come, its fine"

Tami squealed leaving behind her breakfast to suffocate Gabriella into a hug "Thank you!"

Gabriella giggled

"One more person" she said, chewing at her food, deep in thought.

"You don't have to decide right now" he told her.

Gabriella smiled, grateful for this.

Throughout the day Troys siblings came over, and more presents were handed out. Gabriella couldn't stop looking at Troy; she couldn't believe what he had done for her. How he knew she'd want to see her sister and taking the opportunity to let her have that was amazing in her eyes.

Gabriella was in the kitchen pouring out more drinks for everyone when Troy came in.

"Hey, you OK?" he asked

Gabriella smiled "I'm great" she said, no words compared to how she felt.

"You sure? You haven't stopped staring at me the whole day.

Gabriella blushed, unaware that he had noticed.

"Oh, well yeah I'm fine"

Troy saw her blush and smiled, knowing he had indeed been right.

"So, why have you been staring then?" he asked, taking down the snacks that people had demanded he'd get for them.

"Reasons" she replied

Troy smiled "Any in particular?"

Gabriella finally turned around and looked at him "How can I not stare? You gave me _the_ most amazing gift today, Troy." She couldn't continue, she was speechless.

Troy understood and smiled "So, you liked it?"

Gabriella smiled "I love it! And I love you" she told him.

"I love you too"

Troy leaned down to kiss her.

"Oh, sorry I'll be back" Tami said, circling around again.

Troy laughed "She's getting good at that"

Gabriella giggled with him.

Troy looked at her again, leaning down to kiss her again.

Pulling apart they had matching smiles upon their faces.

"So, we leave on the third?" she asked

"Yeah, so you'd better get packing" he told her.

"It's 9 days away" she reminded him.

Troy shrugged, Gabriella looked at him. He was up to something.

For the rest of the night, throughout Christmas lunch and the film they had put on, Gabriella was staring at Troy for a whole new reason. She knew he was up to something but couldn't figure out what.

Suddenly the film was over; Gabriella was barely paying attention throughout it.

"So, did you like the film Gabriella?" Ava asked, knowing her daughter had never seen it before.

"Hm, yeah it was good" she replied, smiling.

"Really, I didn't realize you liked romantic comedies"

Gabriella barely contained her grimace, there were very few of those she liked "Once in a while a good one can exist I suppose"

Troy got up and told everyone he was going outside to stretch his legs and get some fresh air.

Gabriella said she'd join him and followed him out.

There were a few moments of silence before Troy spoke "You hate romantic comedies" he said.

"Like I said, a few good ones are around" she told him.

"You always say their too predictable"

Gabriella shrugged "Some are, some aren't"

Troy looked at her "What was your favourite part?" he asked

Gabriella froze; she couldn't even remember the name of the film let-alone anything she had actually seen seeing as she was too focused on her boyfriends secret.

Troy smiled in victory "You know me too well, Gabriella" he told her.

Gabriella shook her head "You caught me again?"

Troy smiled "I can tell the difference between your _totally engrossed in the film_ look, you're _absolutely bored out of my mind_ look and _I must figure out what's going on_ look. That coupled with the fact you kept looking over at me again says that yes, you know me too well"

Gabriella nodded "So?" she asked

Troy looked at her "So what?"

"You know 'so what' I'm going crazy here, what are you up to?" she asked

Troy smiled, and pulled another envelope out of his jeans.

"Troy" Gabriella warned

"This one you can kill me for because it was my own doing" he told her. "Although, before you do" he said, noticing the look she was giving him "Technically if you think about it, it's for both of us." He told her

This made Gabriella even more curious that she already was, she took the envelope to see what was in it.

"I figured we could make it a tradition of some kind" he told her.

Gabriella opened the new envelope and out fell two tickets.

"Back to the ski lodge?" she asked

Troy nodded "Yeah, if you want too. It's completely up to you" he told her.

Gabriella smiled "I love the idea" she told him.

"Yeah?" he asked

Gabriella nodded "Yeah, our own tradition" she smiled "Does everyone know about this?" she asked

Troy nodded "About six months" he replied

Gabriella's eyes widened "How did I not click on?" she asked

"We're just that good" he chuckled

"You're amazing Troy" she told him. She leant up and kissed him, softly.

"Guys come on! It's cold out there" Jack called from the living room.

"Merry Christmas, Gabriella"

"Merry Christmas, Troy"

_[A/N]:_

_OK, so much cheese and fluff involved in this one, satisfying? You know, seeing as I haven't updated literally all year? :)_

_I have an idea, I know, my downfall when it comes to updating fanfiction :P_

_I have been edited this story so if anyone wants to go back and read the new and improved version that would be awesome!_

_Hope you like it :)_


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